Ron DeSantis: The Republican Party's Bright Star

No. 1 competitor

After months of waiting, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has officially announced his candidacy for the 2024 White House as a Republican candidate. This decision means that he will also become one of many opponents of former President Donald Trump. Currently, the Republican race has attracted many prominent candidates - the latest being former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. However, up to now, Mr. DeSantis is still considered Mr. Trump's strongest opponent. A native of Florida, Mr. DeSantis made an impression as a young man as a talented baseball player. He represented the Dunedin team of Florida in the Little League World Series in 1991, before becoming captain of the Yale University baseball team. After a short time teaching high school, he continued to study law at Harvard Law School. After graduating, he took on the role of advisor to US Navy commanding officers.

DeSantis officially began his political career when he ran for and was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2012. Like many other conservatives in Congress at the time, DeSantis pushed for changes to Medicare and Social Security, including a proposal to raise the retirement age to 70. He was then re-elected twice, serving three terms in Congress before deciding to run for governor of Florida in 2018.

Portrait of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis - a leading Republican candidate. Photo: New York Times

At that time, Mr. DeSantis caught the eye of the then-President Donald Trump. Thanks to Mr. Trump's great support, Mr. DeSantis won despite a slim margin over his opponent. Until last fall, with impressive performances in recent times, Mr. DeSantis continued to dominate and was re-elected with a margin of more than 19%. This also marked the biggest victory of a candidate in this state in decades - helping the name of politician DeSantis become more and more impressive in the eyes of voters. From that time, observers believed that this was the number 1 bright character who could compete to the end with former President Donald Trump.

Controversial decisions

Strong and decisive, on the other hand, Mr. DeSantis is considered a Republican official with controversial and even divisive policies. Recently, as Governor, Mr. DeSantis signed a bill called "Don't Say Gay" - which banned discussion and mention of LGBT issues in Florida public schools. Or earlier this year, Mr. DeSantis signed a law banning abortion at 6 weeks - that is, before most women know they are pregnant. Mr. DeSantis also issued a law allowing Floridians to carry guns without a license. He also pushed for new measures that experts warn could undermine press freedom in the US.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will compete directly with former President Donald Trump. Photo: CNN

With his decisions, Mr. DeSantis is showing the portrait of a controversial politician with a style quite similar to former President Trump. That is, he strongly criticizes the left, focuses on traditional Republican values, and is not afraid to confront the media or any organization or individual that obstructs his policies. For example, Mr. DeSantis did not hesitate to "declare war" on the giant Disney when this corporation publicly called on Mr. DeSantis to remove the law on LGBT. Accordingly, Disney was stripped of its special autonomy over the land to build the Disney World entertainment complex - which had been granted since 1967. Disney then filed a lawsuit against Governor DeSantis' administration - causing a long-lasting legal battle, possibly even leading to the 2024 presidential election. While the battle has not yet ended, Disney recently announced that it had canceled plans to build a new campus in central Florida - a project that could create about 2,000 more jobs for the area. This is considered a response to Mr. DeSantis, a minus point for the presidential race that is gradually becoming intense.

Fragile victory!

Despite his controversial views and policies, Governor DeSantis' allies are confident that he has the ability to defeat former President Donald Trump. First of all, because Mr. DeSantis has the characteristics of Mr. Trump that voters love. That is, he is strong and decisive, pursuing populism. But Mr. DeSantis is considered to be more skillful and calm than Mr. Trump, and he is also superior in terms of age at only 44 years old. His victory by more than 19% to re-elect the state governor last year surprised voters, in the context of Republicans in other states facing countless difficulties. He even won Miami-Dade County, a long-standing Democratic stronghold with many voters of color. In the context of Mr. Trump facing legal charges, many opinions say that Mr. DeSantis would be the perfect alternative.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his family celebrate their victory in November 2022. Photo: AP

Of course, whether the success in the Governor's election will maintain the advantage in the Presidential election will depend on many factors. There are questions about Mr. DeSantis's ability to connect with voters and Republican leaders. Because at present, it is necessary to admit that most of the Republican delegations in Congress are still tending to support Mr. Trump over Mr. DeSantis. In addition, Mr. Trump's campaign team is also targeting Mr. DeSantis' "loyalty" factor when he once stood side by side but later "turned his back" and had serious conflicts with the former President. Therefore, from a state governor to a Republican candidate and the Head of the White House, Mr. DeSantis probably has a lot of work to do!