Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Touts "Florida Model" at Midterm Rally, Citing Policy Victories

Governor Ron DeSantis addressed Republican supporters in Osceola County on Tuesday evening, advocating for his administration's conservative achievements as a potential national framework for federal policy. He framed Navy veteran Dan Green's campaign for Florida's 9th Congressional District as integral to a wider initiative to introduce Florida's assertive governance style to Washington. Speaking to the audience in St. Cloud, located south of Orlando, DeSantis referenced his administration's prominent clashes over education, state budget cuts, and corporate challenges, encouraging attendees to champion a similar resolute, policy-focused approach in Congress.

DeSantis expressed his anticipation for the election of a congressman "that has served this country and that has served for the right reasons." He also voiced his strong support for congressional term limits, stating, "But until we do that, you can show your current guy the term limit by kicking him out of office." The governor suggested that Florida's approach could serve as a "model for people like Dan going to Washington, other states, you name it," emphasizing that it goes beyond mere "peacocking and putting social media press releases out and never getting anything done." He asserted, "We have fought every big fight that there has been to fight in the state of Florida, and we have won every big fight that there is to fight in Florida."

Highlighting Key Policy Victories

DeSantis energized his conservative base by recounting what he described as significant triumphs against various institutions, agencies, and policy frameworks:

Just think about it:

• We beat Dr. Fauci on COVID.
• We beat Disney on gender ideology.
• We beat Soros on crime by removing two of his prosecutors.
• We beat Martha's Vineyard on illegal immigration.
• We just beat the Muslim Brotherhood by banning Sharia law.
• We beat the teachers unions by enacting universal school choice for all Florida families.
• We beat SEIU by doing paycheck protection.

He concluded this list by stating, "Every single time there was a fight, we would beat and win the fights. And that's ultimately what it's all about. Because leadership—when it's popular, when it's easy—anyone can do that. 'I'll just go with the flow,' all this other stuff. It really matters when it is tough and when you're going to face arrows."

The governor consistently stressed that his primary focus was upholding his beliefs rather than pursuing political convenience or conforming. He recalled the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic: "I remember during COVID, I was doing things and people said, 'Oh, he's not shutting down the beaches. Why does he have these people in school?' and all this other stuff." He noted that he faced criticism, with "a lot of people told me that I was frittering away my governorship, that I wouldn't be able to win in '22, and all this other stuff." DeSantis added, "I don't know if that was true, who knows, right? But when you get in a position to lead, you either do it or you should just sit down. My job was not to be worried about my own political hide. My job was to be worried about protecting the liberty, jobs, and businesses of the people I was elected to serve. So we started the fire, and we gave them his right."

The Stance Against Disney

The two-term governor evidently views his well-publicized dispute with Disney as a significant accomplishment. He remarked, "Nobody in the history of the state had ever taken on Disney in anything. A lot of people told me I was making a mistake." He then posed a rhetorical question: "But the reality is: do we want a society in which our six-year-olds are being told they can change genders, or do we want a society rooted in truth?" DeSantis asserted that if a society is to be "rooted in truth," then "even if the biggest, most powerful corporation in the state is against you, you've got to stand up and you've got to fight. And we fought, and we won."

Fiscal Responsibility and Educational Achievements

With the national debt surpassing $40 trillion, DeSantis argued that Florida has charted a distinctly different financial path. He stated, "Just look at the results. For four straight years, Florida has reduced its budget. Is any other state in the country reducing spending? We've done it four years in a row." He also announced a significant reduction in the state's historical debt: "if you take all of Florida's debt for all of our history up until the time I became governor, just in my tenure, we will retire 54% of the state's debt—more than cutting it in half."

The governor also highlighted educational successes, noting, "We've been ranked number one for education freedom, and our public university system is ranked number one." He pointed out that Florida maintains "the lowest in-state tuition of any state in the United States," and that "it's the exact same cost today to students and families that it was the day I took office. It did not go up one penny under my tenure." He humorously contrasted this with everyday price increases, remarking, "Is there anything else that didn't go up? The dollar menu at McDonald's is all $2.99 now! Everything else has gone up, but that has not gone up."

Tax Relief Initiatives

DeSantis also positioned Florida as a national leader in providing tax relief to its residents. He urged voters to support Amendment 3 in Florida, an initiative designed to enable the elimination of non-school property taxes. He declared, "If you look at tax relief, we've done $10 billion over my tenure—more than anyone." He specified some permanent reductions, such as "no tax on baby items, back-to-school items, and no tax on business rent." He then emphasized the importance of Amendment 3, stating, "But really, the big enchilada is going to be on the ballot in November when you have a chance on Amendment 3 to vote yourself more control over your own home and not let them tax you to death. So vote yes on 3."

Drawing Parallels to Previous Elections

As Republicans anticipate challenges in the upcoming midterms, DeSantis drew a comparison between the current election cycle and his own narrow victory in the 2018 gubernatorial race. He reflected, "We've done all this stuff, but I think the lesson is this: when I won eight years ago, it was kind of similar to how it is now. People were saying it was a ‘blue year.’ There was a lot of wind in the face of Republican candidates." He also noted widespread skepticism regarding Florida's political leanings: "A lot of people thought Florida was a swing state—that we were purple—where one point had decided all these races for the previous decade. A lot of people didn't think I could even win given those circumstances. And even if I won, they said, 'Well, the state's going to go blue. You've got all these people moving from Puerto Rico, the Northeast, anything.'" He concluded by emphasizing his triumph: "So I'm running. It wasn't easy, and we won!"

Governing Without Polling

DeSantis concluded by asserting that he has never relied on polling to inform his policy decisions. He described a critical juncture after his close election victory: "It was a close race, so I had a choice to make: Do I try to tiptoe around the tulips, not offend anybody, and just try to walk this tight line? Or do I say, 'You know what? I won the election, I got 100% of the executive power, and I didn't get elected to follow—I got elected to lead.'" He committed to a leadership style of "bold colors, not pale pastels," stating, "I'm going to do what I believe in. I am not going to take any polls. I have not to this day ever polled a single issue in my entire time as governor."

He explained his rationale: "The reason is simple…It depends on how you ask the question, right? I can tweak the words and get a different result. But also, what does a poll actually mean?" He then quoted Popeye, saying, "Like Popeye said, 'I am what I am,' right?"