GOP delivers sweeping victories in Florida midterm elections
Fox News contributor and pollster Kellyanne Conway joined 'The Faulkner Focus' to discuss the significance of GOP wins in Florida and key issues that drove voters to the ballot box.
The extent of the 2022 red wave (or red trickle) remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: It’s a tsunami in the Sunshine State.
On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis defeated his Democratic opponent, Charlie Crist, by a nearly 60-40 margin. It was a drubbing of epic proportions, with the race called early and the mainstream media already proclaiming DeSantis the "2024 Republican front-runner." Of course, left-wing news headlines should be taken with a grain of salt, with the DeSantis-bashing set to ensue in the weeks to come, but Democrats are worried — and for good reason.
The sheer extent of the Florida drubbing is historic. DeSantis has turned a swing state into a deep red one. He easily won traditionally reliable Democratic voting blocs, beating Crist by five points among even non-Cuban Hispanic voters. Among Cubans, DeSantis beat Crist by a whopping 37 points. Perhaps the most stunning result came in once-reliably-blue Miami-Dade County, which broke for DeSantis by a nearly 12-point margin. The popularity of Florida’s freedom-loving governor benefited Republicans up and down the ballot, with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio also winning Miami-Dade and other traditionally blue counties.
CONSERVATIVE TWITTER READY TO CROWN DESANTIS 'HEAD OF THE PARTY' AFTER DECISIVE ELECTION WIN
The Florida tsunami should come as no surprise. Beginning with DeSantis’ election in 2018 and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sunshine State has grown redder and redder, with millions of Americans embracing DeSantis’ pro-freedom governance while leaving the restrictions and mandates of blue states firmly behind. Throughout the pandemic, DeSantis stuck to a common-sense approach to COVID-19, without ignoring the very real threat of "woke" education policies and other left-wing attempts to radically alter American culture.
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation officials, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others hold a Burmese python at the 2022 Florida Python Challenge. (FWC photo by Andy Wraithmell)
Election Day was a validation of DeSantis’ battle with the radical left. After trouncing Crist, he rightly proclaimed, "Florida is where woke goes to die!"
Still, DeSantis knows that there’s more to political leadership — which he possesses in abundance — than fighting a culture war. He has proven himself as remarkably competent, sticking to his real duties as governor of one of America’s largest states. While the liberal media will bash DeSantis this week and beyond, it is important to note he quickly pivoted from his Election Day rout to the looming threat of Subtropical Storm Nicole, issuing a state of emergency for 34 Florida counties and preparing the state’s citizens for another storm barely two months after Hurricane Ian. In his words: "While this storm does not, at this time, appear that it will become much stronger, I urge all Floridians to be prepared and to listen to announcements from local emergency management officials."
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Therein lies the true mark of the man. Even after the most dominant political win of DeSantis’ career and one of the most resounding victories in a "competitive" race for quite some time, he immediately turned his attention to his people and their real needs. He knows that millions of people in Florida — Democrats, Republicans and independents — are counting on him to lead once again.
If Election 2022 proved anything, it’s that DeSantis is the complete package: He is a true leader, seeing out the day-to-day roles and responsibilities that political leadership demands in good times and bad. DeSantis sticks to his principles — real, patriotic, American principles that don’t turn with the tide — but not at the expense of public service. DeSantis is not just a politician with savvy instincts; he is a public servant through and through.
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In the wake of Republicans’ blown midterm opportunities, too often wasted on overpriced consultants and ineffective messaging, DeSantis has emerged as the real deal. He has shown the Republican Party and the American people writ large a winning blueprint in 2024.
DeSantis is not about ego or media hype; he is about results. That’s why Americans are ready for Ron to win the White House next.
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