Florida’s governor has just cut ties with a political action committee (PAC) bearing his name. Many Floridians see this as an indication that he’s preparing to abandon Florida for a presidential run.
“He just wanted to make sure the revision on Resign-to-Run came through,” Sharp told The Epoch Times.
Florida Statute 99.012— the “Resign-to-Run” law—says that “any officer who qualifies for federal public office must resign from the office.”
State Rep. Angela Nixon (D) said, “We in this body are doing the governor’s bidding.”
“He needs to resign to run if he wants to run for president, period,” Nixon chided. “Last time I checked, being governor is a full-time job. Running for president takes a lot of work.”
Rep. Ralph Massullo (R) said, “This isn’t just for our governor; it’s for anyone in politics.”
Sharp says, “Now that the path has been cleared for him by the establishment,” all that’s left is for DeSantis to sign the bill into law.
Political Theater
Sharp was critical of the idea that, just after Floridians reelected him as their governor, he would make a run for the White House.“I think all of the promises he made during his reelection campaign had nothing to do with Floridians. It was just a way to position himself for the next step in his political career,” Sharp posited. “It was all political theater.”
It’s a sentiment shared by Ken Lovejoy, the host of “Charlotte County Speaks” on iHeart Radio.
While Lovejoy told The Epoch Times that he and all of his listeners “love Ron DeSantis” and believe he has “done a great job as governor,” he said, “it’s obvious to anyone who’s been paying attention that he’s been running for president ever since the Mar-A-Lago raid.”
“I’ve taken a lot of heat for my position on Ron DeSantis because a lot of people here love him so much they’ve already deified him and want him to run,” Lovejoy explicated. “That’s great, and I don’t mind him running for president. But I think it’s the dumbest move he’s made in his political career.”
“He campaigned hard for a second term as governor. But now we all know that, in the back of his mind, he had no intention of filling out that term because in less than a month after he wins reelection, he’s off on a book tour, which is really just a campaign,” Lovejoy said. “Everything he’s done since Mar-A-Lago has shown a lack of authenticity and a lack of ethics. He’s disingenuous.”
While in Japan, a reporter noted that polls show DeSantis is “falling behind Trump.”
“I’m not a candidate, so we'll see if and when that changes,” DeSantis replied.
The Tours
The detachment from “Friends of Ron DeSantis” isn’t the first move that has fueled the fires of speculation that he’s preparing for a presidential bid in 2024.Just three months after winning his landslide reelection in Florida, DeSantis traveled to New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago to pledge his support for law enforcement.
Days later, he hosted a three-day retreat for his top donors at the Four Seasons hotel in Palm Beach, just four miles away from Mar-A-Lago.
Should DeSantis decide to make his campaign official and make a run for the White House, it wouldn’t be the first time he left one office to reach for another.
While DeSantis has racked up an impressive list of endorsements in states like Utah, and Michigan, legislators in his home state are considerably less enthusiastic.
‘It’s Not Okay’
Jessico Bowman of Saint Johns, Florida, says “he should stay put as governor.”
“This is going to damage his political career,” Bowman told The Epoch Times. “As a Floridian, it’s not okay. We just reelected the guy, and now he’s going to leave. I guess he’s too concerned with advancing his own political goals to care about Floridians and all the promises he made to us.”
Jerry Anders of Sarasota says, “I don’t think he’s ready to take on the presidency just yet.”
“Florida loves DeSantis. We don’t want to see him go anywhere,” Anders told The Epoch Times. “But I think he still has a few years to learn the ropes. I don’t think he’s ready. I think he needs to stay.”
William Siegenthaler of South Lake County believes, “There are consultants pushing Ron to do this, and Democrats love it because it’s going to divide the base.”
“It aggravates me that they’re pushing Ron to do this,” Siegenthaler told The Epoch Times. “We all know the book tour was a sham. It’s a stealth campaign. He has people mobilized all over the state. It’s a foregone conclusion, and if someone doesn’t dissuade him from running, he’s going to announce. Everybody knows.”
Egypt Brown of Delray Beach, Florida, believes DeSantis might make a good potential candidate for president someday. “But he’s better served in Florida.”
“As a Floridian, I believe Governor DeSantis should finish the job he started,” Brown told The Epoch Times. “I love that he’s being aggressive. But you can’t start a war with Disney and just run off. He’s done a great job as Florida’s governor. But President Trump is the president we need.”
Nancy Soares of Punta Gorda shares the same sentiment as Brown.
“I think one day he might be able to run for president. But I don’t think right now is the appropriate time,” Soares told The Epoch Times. “I believe in ‘Promises made. Promises kept,’ and he promised he was going to be our governor. I don’t think the people of Florida or the people of the United States deserve this.”
In closing, Lovejoy shared a final thought on the passage of SB 7050.
“How confident is [DeSantis] in winning the presidency if he has to change state law to allow him to maintain his office as governor while running?”
Sharp agreed, saying, “He’s scared of stepping into the batter’s box, swinging and missing.”
The Epoch Times reached out to DeSantis’ office for comment.
