Can Republicans hold Florida after DeSantis?

Over the last few weeks and months, I have asked Republican voters in the state of Florida a question that has sent an admitted chill down their spine: “What if the Republicans lose the election for governor in November?” 

Many people — myself included — believe that the current governor, Ron DeSantis, is not only exceptional at the job, but also easily the best governor in the nation. More than that, they believe he saved the Sunshine State and its people at the height of COVID-19 hysteria by standing tall for personal freedoms. As blue state after blue state instituted liberty-robbing draconian measures in the guise of helping their constituents, many shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if then-Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D) had defeated DeSantis in 2018.

After more than 8 million votes had been counted in the race between Gillum and DeSantis to succeed term-limited Gov. Rick Scott (R) as the next governor of Florida, on Nov. 6, 2018, DeSantis was ahead by just 1 percentage point. DeSantis squeaked it out in a state-mandated machine recount. He went on to become the very model of a strong, common-sense, rule-of-law governor.

But along with that razon-thin victory came an irrefutable and now very pertinent fact: DeSantis owed his victory almost entirely to President Trump. Trump’s endorsement of DeSantis in the primary and then in the general had meant everything to the relatively unknown congressman. It is for that reason that Trump was so shocked —  and angered  — when........

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