Can Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stop Donald Trump from running for the White House? | US News

Republican Ron DeSantis has been re-elected as Florida governor — a victory that could set him up for a 2024 presidential bid.

DeSantis, 44, won the position by less than half a percentage point four years ago but handily defeated his Democratic challenger Charlie Crist in the midterms.

he has obtained Donald Trumpbut the former president turned to criticism and warned him against running for the White House in 2024.

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What is DeSantis famous for?

Dubbed “Trump 2.0” by some Republican commentators and the media, DeSantis has appealed to far-right conservatives.

His move is over coronavirus disease He has drawn criticism for refusing to wear a mask and vaccination requirements.

Florida was also one of the last states to go into lockdown — and only for 30 days.

there is one Sharp upward trajectory of COVID cases Florida recorded thousands of deaths.

In April, Mr. DeSantis approved a bill banning elections abortion After being 15 weeks pregnant, his opponent described the move as “callous” but said he was “proud” of it.

Mr. DeSantis’ recent failure to commit to whether he would serve the entire four-year term as Florida governor has sparked speculation about his presidential ambitions.

During his tenure, he signed a bill banning discussions of gender identity or sexual orientation in elementary schools.

Mr. DeSantis also faced scrutiny for his support of candidates who questioned the results of the 2020 election.

Can he stop Trump’s bid?

Mr. DeSantis shares many similarities with Mr. Trump and earned his full support for his 2018 Florida campaign.

This week, however, Trump warned him that any 2024 presidential bid would hurt the GOP.

Mr. Trump told Fox News that Mr. DeSantis would “make mistakes” and that “base wouldn’t like it” and threatened to reveal “things about him” if he did run.

Mr. DeSantis’ easy overnight success in Florida and his growing popularity with the Republican Party are seen as the main threat to Mr. Trump – widely expected to run in 2024, but No bid has been announced yet.

The landslide victory bolstered hopes among Mr. DeSantis’ supporters that he will enjoy enough national prominence to allow him to pose a strong challenge to the presidential nomination.

Meanwhile, Trump-backed candidates have failed in the midterm elections that many commentators had predicted, raising further questions about how Republicans will translate that into 2024.

David Jolly, a former Republican congressman from Florida, said the DeSantis camp is confident it will get enough delegates to defeat Trump.

“DeSantis is ready to go head-to-head and I expect him or his team to show that in the coming days,” Mr Jolly said.

“They believe they can win enough delegates to get the nomination and beat Trump.”

A recent Victory Insights poll of Floridians about the next Republican presidential nominee put Mr. Trump and Mr. DeSantis at 50% each.

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks with his wife Kathy DeSantis during the 2022 U.S. Midterm Election Gala on November 8, 2022 in Tampa, Florida, U.S.  REUTERS/Marco Bello
picture:
The Republican governor and his wife Kathy DeSantis on midterm election night

What is his background?

Mr. DeSantis was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1978 to Italian parents.

He studied history at Yale University, then graduated summa cum laude from Harvard Law School and later became an officer in the U.S. Navy.

After returning to the U.S. in 2008, Mr. DeSantis, who remained in the U.S. Navy Reserve, served as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice.

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In 2012, he was elected to the U.S. Congress for Florida’s 6th District.

Mr. DeSantis was re-elected twice before winning the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2018 — succeeding Republican Rick Scott.

He is married to Emmy Award-winning TV presenter Kathy DeSantis.

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