Jackie Calmes: Ron DeSantis proves that cruetly is a Republican trait
Gov. Ron DeSantis won Tuesday’s special election in Florida’s 23rd Congressional District, besting Democrat Gwen Graham by more than 1 million votes, and thus becoming the state’s governor.
This was an epic election — it was the closest in Florida history, topping the previous record-breaker by more than 300,000 votes in 2010, the year before DeSantis lost his bid for governor and Republican Scott’s victory in the 2016 presidential election.
It was also a referendum on the Trump era, and it was another nail in his administration’s coffin.
This was always going to be a referendum on Trump and the Republican Party, not just the president himself, but also his entire party.
Democrats went out of their way to make sure it was a referendum on DeSantis.
The Democratic campaign for the election was a national tour de force featuring a cadre of celebrities, politicians, celebrities and former stars of the movies and TV shows who have endorsed the Democrat.
A few of those were the headliners at Tuesday’s rally.
Former President Barack Obama was in the audience.
His appearance was a political hot potato for the president, and a sign that Trump’s own approval rating for the president was falling.
It also shows that DeSantis was an anti-Trump candidate. He was trying to turn away from the president, just like the president was trying to turn from Ron DeSantis when he refused to give in to the demands of the left-wing of his party.
As The Washington Examiner reported:
“DeSantis’ victory is a rebuke not only to President Trump and the GOP, which Trump has attacked for its ‘rigged system,’ but also to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who have refused to work with Republicans who oppose him.”
The Democrat establishment’s campaign against DeSantis is the latest example of how deep the divide between the establishment and Trump is.
It was the