Republicans are crediting Gov. Ron DeSantis with keeping Florida red – sparking buzz about his 2028 prospects after the Sunshine State bucked a Democratic blue wave that swept the GOP out of power across much of the country.
“Let’s be clear about what happened last night,” DeSantis said at press conference Wednesday. “This is as close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country as we’ve seen probably in the last 100 years.”
Democrats flipped numerous House seats, at least seven Senate seats and five governorships on Election Night, including in the formerly GOP strongholds of Texas and Kansas.
Florida withstood the blue tsunami, electing GOP Rep. Byron Donalds to replace the term-limited DeSantis and re-electing Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) to the upper chamber, among other GOP wins in the state.
“Out of the 10 largest states in this union, only one state will have Republican control of their state, the state of Florida,” DeSantis boasted.
“We’ve built up a record of achievement,” he said. “We’ve earned trust from a number of our voters that even in the worst situation that you can imagine politically we were able to hold the line.”
DeSantis’ leadership in the Sunshine State, along with his candid assessment of the brutal night for Republicans, has earned him plaudits from conservatives – many of whom hope he makes another run at the White House.
“I think he’s gonna go down as one of the best governors in American history,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) said during an appearance on “Piers Morgan Uncensored.”
“I see Ron DeSantis as a real candidate who could win a presidential nomination based on where we are today,” the outgoing congresswoman continued, touting Florida’s “very strong economy” and the governor’s efforts to root out corruption in the state.
Mace called DeSantis “the biggest winner” of the midterm elections, adding, “I hope he runs,” in an X post.
“The only reason Florida didn’t fall is because of Ron DeSantis,” James Fishback, who lost to Donalds in the Florida GOP gubernatorial primaries, posted on social media.
A Florida GOP insider told The Post that it is clear DeSantis is “already running for president.”
“No question,” the source added.
“Everything he’s doing is setting himself for that. … At the end of the day, he really wants to be president,” the insider said.
The Republican source, however, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio would have the edge between the two Floridians in 2028, pointing to the Trump administration official and former Florida senator’s personality.
“You have to be nice. That’s the difference with Marco. Marco is funny, very smart,” the insider said. “He’s now dealt with every leader in the world. He’s done it well. There’s so many pluses about him in comparison to the others.”
Kalshi, an online predictions market platform, noted that DeSantis’ odds to win the 2028 GOP nomination rose to 19% — up 14% over the last 24 hours – amid the fallout of the midterms.
Vice President JD Vance, who is widely believed to be the top contender for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, blamed the war in Iran for the GOP bloodbath, noting, “our voters showed up” but “many of them voted for Democrats.”
“In the next few months, there’s going to be a lot of gaslighting. Expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty,” Vance posted on X. “But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you.
“The reason we lost is the war.”
In the run-up to the midterms, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who has shown interest in making another run at the White House, has positioned himself as a potential alternative to foreign intervention-skeptical Vance.
“It’s no secret that I want to be president,” Cruz said in an August interview on Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s podcast.
That same month, during an appearance on MS NOW, Cruz said, “There is going to be a full discussion about who we are and what we believe” before GOP voters tap Trump’s successor.
“I’ll certainly be part of the discussion,” he added.
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