Republican Ron DeSantis has been re-elected governor of Florida – a victory that would set him up for a potential presidential run in 2024.
Mr DeSantis, 44, received workplace by lower than half a proportion level 4 years in the past, however comfortably defeated his Democratic challenger Charlie Crist within the midterm elections.
He as soon as acquired the total endorsement of Donald Trump, however the former president has turned to criticising him and has warned him towards a 2024 run for the White House.
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What is DeSantis identified for?
Some Republican commentators and media shops have known as Mr DeSantis “Trump 2.0” and he appeals to hard-right conservatives.
His motion over COVID attracted criticism as he resisted masks mandates and vaccination necessities.
Florida was additionally one of many final states to enter lockdown – and did so for less than 30 days.
There was a steep upward trajectory in COVID instances as Florida recorded 1000’s of deaths.
In April, Mr DeSantis accepted a invoice that bans elective abortion after 15 weeks of being pregnant, a transfer described as “callous and barbaric” by his opponents however of which he says he was “proud”.
Mr DeSantis just lately did not commit as to whether he would serve the total four-year time period as Florida governor, fuelling hypothesis about his presidential ambitions.
During his time in workplace, he has signed a invoice that bans discussions of gender identification or sexual orientation in main colleges.
Mr DeSantis has additionally confronted scrutiny for supporting candidates who questioned the 2020 election outcomes.
Could he thwart a Trump bid?
Mr DeSantis has drawn plenty of similarities with Mr Trump and attracted his full endorsement for his 2018 Florida run.
This week, nonetheless, Mr Trump warned him that any 2024 presidential bid would hurt the Republican Party.
Mr Trump informed Fox News that Mr DeSantis would “be making a mistake” and the “base would not like it” and threatened to disclose “things about him” if he did run.
The comfy success for Mr DeSantis in Florida in a single day and his rising reputation within the Republican Party is being seen as a significant risk to Mr Trump – who’s extensively anticipated to run in 2024 however has not but introduced his bid.
The landslide victory strengthened hopes among the many supporters of Mr DeSantis that he would get pleasure from sufficient nationwide reputation to permit him to make a robust problem for the presidential nomination.
It additionally got here as Trump-endorsed candidates did not safe the success within the midterms many commentators had predicted, elevating additional questions on how that may translate to 2024 for the Republicans.
David Jolly, a former Republican congressman from Florida, stated the DeSantis camp could be assured of choosing up sufficient delegates to beat Mr Trump.
“DeSantis is prepared for a head-to-head primary, and I anticipate he or his team will indicate that in the coming days,” Mr Jolly stated.
“They believe they can win sufficient delegates to capture the nomination and defeat Trump.”
A latest ballot of Floridians by Victory Insights on the following Republican presidential candidate discovered Mr Trump and Mr DeSantis at 50% every.
What is his background?
Mr DeSantis was born to Italian mother and father in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1978.
He studied historical past at Yale University earlier than graduating with honours from Harvard Law School and later turned a commissioned officer within the US Navy.
Upon his return to the US in 2008, Mr DeSantis, who remains to be within the US Navy Reserve, labored as a federal prosecutor for the US Department of Justice.
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In 2012, he was elected to Congress because the US Representative for Florida’s sixth district.
Mr DeSantis was re-elected twice earlier than securing the Republican nomination for governor in 2018 – succeeding Republican Rick Scott.
He is married to Emmy Award-winning tv host Casey DeSantis.
Source: information.sky.com”