Free Republic

In a YouGov survey of 1,795 adult citizens conducted between Apr. 6 and Apr. 9, Iger is at -9 net, with 15% viewing him favorably and 24% unfavorably. Meanwhile, DeSantis is better known, but at least for some respondents, familiarity breeds contempt. The second-term Republican stands at -13 net; 34% view him favorably, with 47% regarding him unfavorably. DeSantis is in negative territory with most age, gender and racial cohorts, with only respondents 65 years of age and older regarding him favorably, albeit by a slender 48% to 44% spread.

RON DESANTIS IS BACK TO RUNNING Florida’s government. But he hasn’t really stopped running for president. Next month, DeSantis hosts a two-day presidential-donor gathering at the Hard Rock Hotel in South Florida that’s billed as—don’t call it a “fundraiser”—an “Investor Appreciation Retreat.” It’s the latest phase of an image makeover DeSantis started after he officially dropped out of the 2024 race on January 21 and endorsed Donald Trump. For the past month, DeSantis has hosted one-on-one thank-you calls with donors, small meetings with more of these “investors” in Naples and in Miami, and conference calls with former volunteers. In a...

Florida is taking a strong stand against retail theft and “porch piracy.” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed into law a bill that would crack down on criminals participating in shoplifting rings and engaging in other types of property crime. While doing so, he took some shots at California and New York for going easy on those committing these offenses. Amid widespread retail theft occurring across the nation, state and local governments are grappling with putting a stop to these operations while others are simply responding with a shrug. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, DeSantis announced...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gathered about 100 top supporters and donors over the weekend at South Florida’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino to say “thank you” — and to foreshadow what might be next. DeSantis supporters see those moves, along with the weekend event at the Hard Rock, as clear signs the Florida governor is once again eyeing a White House bid. The main event Saturday evening featured DeSantis speaking with Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., He needs to repair his image nationally,” said one of the attendees. “I don’t know anyone is going to be like...

Ron DeSantis isn’t committing to running for President again in 2028. At least not publicly. The Governor told Fox News Channel viewers that he didn’t “have any plans for the future” when asked about a future run by Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures. The comments are interesting in light of those being his first public remarks since a reported conclave with donors and supporters in South Florida,

By KIMBERLY LEONARD 04/06/2024 09:38 PM EDT HOLLYWOOD, Florida — Ron DeSantis is making nice with his most loyal donors and, at least over the weekend, ignored Donald Trump. During a retreat in South Florida for the governor’s donors that featured golf, cigars and spa time, and little mention of the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee, DeSantis thanked and wooed the people who most avidly supported his presidential run. Part of the weekend was also to brainstorm how he could keep Florida front and center in the conservative movement with more than 2 and a half years left as governor. Robert...

DeSantis began 2023 as the best positioned Republican candidate to challenge Trump for the party's presidential nomination, according to polling tracked by 538. But he begins 2024 as another name on the growing list of rivals who failed to shake the former president's popularity among the GOP --- DeSantis' early actions since leaving the race have already sparked speculation that the governor, who is only 45, could make another White House run in the future. A source close to him said that he has privately expressed interest in running again as early as 2028 and has brought it up as...

Up to 1,000 Florida National Guard troops will be sent to the Texas border to stop the influx of migrants, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday morning. The soldiers will be deployed “based on Texas’ needs,” according to a press release on the Florida governor’s website. The Florida State Guard will also be sent to Texas to support Gov. Greg Abbott’s effort to repel migrants at the border — which is the first time the group has been deployed out of state, the release noted. These deployments are in addition to officers from the Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Fish and Wildlife...

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed Walt Disney’s lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and members of a state board for allegedly retaliating after the company criticized state limits on classroom discussion of sexuality. DeSantis and other defendants had urged U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in Tallahassee, Florida, to dismiss the case because Disney could not sue them over constitutionally enacted state laws. Winsor was nominated by then-President Donald Trump in 2019 to fill a vacancy. “Disney lacks standing to sue the Governor or the Secretary,” the judge said in his ruling, according to a court filing. The company’s claims...

Can the federal government defy the law and force a state to allow a foreign invasion. James Madison didn’t think so

In his first interview since dropping out of the presidential race, DeSantis told Blaze TV’s Steve Deace that the blame is on Iowa caucusgoers who rallied behind front-runner Donald Trump even though many didn’t like him. “They did not want to see Trump nominated again, but they had basically been told that it was inevitable, that it was over,” DeSantis told Deace on Tuesday. DeSantis, who lost to Trump in the Iowa caucuses earlier this month, added that those voters were “checked out” and had “just totally dropped out of the process.” The Florida governor told Deace he’d consider running...

Ron DeSantis is seeking an 'off-ramp' from his 2024 campaign, according to reports, following a disappointing performance in Iowa - buoyed by the promise from Trump supporters to back him in 2028. Speaking on Tuesday in South Carolina, DeSantis said that Trump voters in Iowa had told him they would support him in four years. 'They were coming up to me saying, "We want you in 2028, we love you, man," he said. He told a similar story on NBC News. Andrew Romeo, the DeSantis campaign's communications director, said DeSantis was in the race 'for the long haul,' through South...

During the Iowa battle, Donald Trump Jr, the former President's son was asked an intriguing question whether he would follow father's footsteps and run for the top post and 2028. Trump Jr replied to the voter during the campaign event in Ankney pawing way for speculations. The real estate businessman was present with his fiance Kimberly Guilfoyle. While choosing not to answer the White House run in 2028 question directly, Trump Jr looked in the crowd and probably at Guilfoyle and responded in excitement “Oh God, Hey princess, you ready for this?” "Listen, you never know. I don't want to...

On the menu today: The cover piece in the newest issue of National Review has Ron DeSantis fans grumbling that it’s far too early for such a gloomy assessment of his campaign because not a single vote has been cast yet. Fine, but to believe that DeSantis has a shot of winning Iowa, we need to believe that his support is at least 15 percentage points higher than his highest numbers in recent polling and that Donald Trump’s support is at least 15 percentage points lower than his lowest numbers in recent polling. (If you simply take DeSantis’s best number...

Donald Trump’s road to victory in the 2016 presidential election began in March 2011, when he first publicly questioned the origin of Barack Obama’s birth. He soon became the leading voice of the racist “birther” conspiracy theory, forging an unbreakable bond with a large portion of the Republican base that would later propel him to the presidency. Then-Illinois state Senator Barack Obama may not have known it at the time, but his 2002 speech at a Chicago rally opposing an invasion of Iraq set his course to the presidency. Six years later, Obama won his party’s nomination over more experienced...

Sen. Ted Cruz hinted that he may be running for president again in the future and said not to count Gov. Ron DeSantis out of the presidential race. 'When I ran in 2016, the most fun I've ever had in my life. And we came incredibly close to winning,' he told DailyMail.com in an interview. While Trump is far ahead in the polls, Cruz predicted the race is still up for grabs.

DeSantis sold his soul to the swamp! pic.twitter.com/BF7C80u7X3— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) August 7, 2023

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s delegate forecast has plummeted to just 159, representing another loss of 100 predicted votes in the last two weeks. DeSantis now trails former President Donald Trump by over 2,000 forecasted delegates, according to polling data tracker, ‘Race to the White House.’The Governor of Florida has watched his delegate vote forecast plunge by 901 since the start of the year, setting yet another historic low for his campaign. Trump has collected the vast majority of DeSantis’s losses, and is now predicted to take a whopping 2220 votes. Only 1,234 delegate votes are needed to be declared the...

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is running ads to promote the impending one-on-one debate against rival Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom amid their ongoing coast-to-coast feud. "Ron DeSantis is debating Gavin Newsom to highlight the choice facing American voters next year," the talking points added later. The campaign also released ads to promote the debate and encourage voters to "choose their fighter." "Who do you support?" the arcade game-themed advertisement reads.

Former President Donald Trump believes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is hurting any potential 2028 presidential prospects, criticizing the presidential hopeful following the governor’s recent appearance in New Hampshire.“Ron DeSanctimonious is getting absolutely ‘demolished’ for yesterday’s performance in New Hampshire,” Trump stated in a Truth Social post.“No crowds, no enthusiasm, no interest. His Campaign is in total disarray. He’s hurting himself very badly for 2028. See, loyalty does matter with Patriots!” Trump exclaimed.Trump’s criticism follows DeSantis and his family spending the Fourth of July in New Hampshire, marching in the Fourth of July parades in both Wolfeboro and Merrimack, alongside his...