We may yet see more of the Florida governor on the national stage

Ron DeSantis, once the apparent future of the Republican party, is now a former presidential candidate. Having won a landslide gubernatorial re-election campaign in Florida in 2022 on resistance to pandemic panic and intrusive public-health policies, DeSantis chose to run for the GOP presidential nomination as a sort of Trump-lite populist.

Unsurprisingly, faithful followers of the former president preferred the real deal, who is now well on his way to taking another shot at the White House. That leaves DeSantis as an also-ran with an uncertain future.

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Don't have an account? Create Account

“The people have delivered their verdict: freedom is here to stay,” DeSantis boasted in 2022, after he bested Democratic candidate (and former Republican governor) Charlie Crist by 19 points.

He not only crushed his challenger, but the opposition party, flipping areas that had long been loyal to Democrats. He did so by resisting demands for restrictive pandemic policies that closed schools, crushed businesses and deprived people of their livelihoods elsewhere in the country.

“Speaking to voters in Miami, the name Ron DeSantis evokes strong passions,” the BBC reported at the time. “But one message comes across again and again by those who support him — they began liking him during the pandemic when he rejected lockdowns, vaccine requirements and mask mandates in the name of personal freedoms.”

In a party largely transformed into a cult of personality around Donald Trump, DeSantis looked poised to revive the legacy of Ronald Reagan. The popular former president once famously quipped, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”

This newsletter tackles hot topics with boldness, verve and........

© National Post