TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The field of Republican contenders seeking to challenge President Joe Biden is growing.
On Monday, Republican Senator Tim Scott kicked off his campaign in South Carolina.
8 On Your Side has learned that sometime this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to officially enter the race. So we decided to take a look back at the governor’s race as he prepared for the national stage.
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In 2018, DeSantis jumped into the race for governor of Florida.
“As governor, I will take a special interest in cleaning up our waters and stopping the spread of toxic algae,” DeSantis promised in a campaign announcement.
He had served three terms in Congress. Still, the former Navy officer was considered an underdog, before getting President Trump’s endorsement.
On election day, we spoke with Desantis at a polling station.
“We worked really hard,” DeSantis said. “I’m happy to let the chips fall where they may.”
DeSantis defeated Democrat Andrew Gillum by a slim margin: less than one percentage point, roughly 32,463 votes.
In his first inauguration, he promised to keep Florida’s taxes low, protect its environment and its constitution.
“I will only appoint judges who understand that the proper role of the courts is to apply the constitution as written,” DeSantis said.
Then, COVID hit.
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The governor took a different approach than others, resisting mask and vaccine mandates and keeping kids in class and businesses open.
“We don’t let anybody impose restrictions or mandates,” DeSantis said. “You can make decisions for yourself and your family as you see fit.”
The governor was widely criticized by many public health experts. During this time, he often fought with reporters.
“We’ve been successful and I think people don’t want to acknowledge that,” DeSantis said in May 2020.
These exchanges helped put him in the national spotlight.
But what happened next made him a leading candidate for the White House.
DeSantis beat Charlie Crist, winning by nearly 20 percentage points in November 2022.
“We will never surrender to the woke mob, Florida is where the woke go to die,” DeSantis said during his second inauguration.
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There are reports that the Biden team is quietly preparing for a DeSantis run.
Biden supporters are attacking DeSantis’ feud with Disney, his crackdown on illegal immigration and the state’s six-week abortion ban.
DeSantis is also taking hits from his former mentor. Right now, President Donald Trump is the frontrunner.
“The problem with Ron DeSanctimonious is that he needs a personality transplant and those aren’t available yet.” Trump said.
“I think the party has developed a culture of losing,” DeSantis said.
It’s hard to overstate DeSantis’ victory in November 2022. He flipped Democratic strongholds, including Miami-Dade, and his state PAC raised $226 million.
Right now, some political observers say DeSantis is falling under the new scrutiny, but his supporters say he has plenty of time to sway opinion before the primaries.
