TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In the wake of the Florida Legislature voting to strip Walt Disney World of its self-government on Thursday, political observers said it’s been a long time since they’ve seen a governor with as much political force as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Thursday he did get his way with new Congressional maps and the action against Disney.
Many believe this is not only a playbook for the governor to win reelection in the fall, but also to pave the way for a bid for the White House.
"What he’s doing is throwing red meat at the Republicans, saying to some voters, be energized, give me money so I can run. But in the process, he’s doing things that are angering Democrats," said Charles Zelden, a political science professor at Nova Southeastern University.
Zelden said with these issues, along with others like the "Parental Rights In Education" law and the school textbooks, DeSantis is winning over Republicans in other states.
Democrats in Florida are fuming, and at the center of it is DeSantis.
"We live in a state where the governor wants to be the governor, the Senate president, the House speaker, and the chief justice, and that is authoritarianism," said State Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardnes.
Jones spoke by Zoom from his car after the contentious passage of Congressional maps and Disney punishments were approved by Republicans -
Political observers said it shows just how powerful this governor is.
"Democrats are shaking their head. Oh those crazy Republicans, look what they’re doing. If you’re a Republican, go for it. You’re pushing for what’s right, what we want, the America we want," Zelden said.
Zelden has been watching Florida politics for a while and said DeSantis, in his mind, has much bigger goals driving his agenda –
"He’s trying to motivate the local Republican base doing what he can here in Florida to get reelected as governor. And he’s trying to do it in a way that plays well nationally because it’s clear he has ambitions that go beyond the state of Florida," Zelden said.
Meaning the white house.
So far the governor is proving to be a Republican steamroller, gaining as much attention nationally as he does in Florida.
"Anytime the governor plays this game, he has the potential for overplaying his hand, going too far," Zelden said.
