Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to pull in big bucks as revelations about Donald Trump’s role in the treason make him vulnerable. But why did the Governor focus on cultural wars instead of the property insurance problem?
Elections are important in politics; as professionals, we can sometimes fix them.
I don’t pick on pollsters because their findings only represent a snapshot of time. Things can and do change. If that weren’t true, we’d have President Hillary Clinton and Governor Andrew Gillum — or maybe Gov. Gwen Graham.
However, I nearly spit out my Grape-Nuts the other day when news of an internal investigation into Florida’s 14th District race broke. It featured a runoff in which Republican Jerry Torres led eight-term Democrat Kathy Castor 66% to 14%.
My first thought was that the poll was actually a story from the Onion, or maybe they polled people who came to the Torres family picnic. I mean, Castor is a well-known local political figure.
Castor won more than 60% of the vote in 2020 and now has a more Democratic-leaning district thanks to new redistricting by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Not surprisingly, the Torres camp did not provide much information about the poll, other than to say that the researchers reached out to respondents via text messages. Read what you want.
Oh, and before Torres can even consider taking Castor, he has to win the Republican Primary.
Oh, and he also has to endure a court challenge to kick him out of the election over his credentials.
He’ll find Castor waiting for a pass if he clears those two obstacles.
And although political predictions are dangerous, I feel good about saying that he will not get 66% of the vote against him. It is likely that it will be the other way around.
Now, it’s on to our weekly matchup of winners and losers.
Honorable mention: Maria Elvira Salazar. He is picking up steam in a bid to defend his seat in Florida’s 27th District.
Salazar raised a record $835,000 for the campaign in the second quarter, significant because Democrats are leading to win his district.
As of July, Salazar had a net worth of $1.4 million. Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics reports that he received more than a thousand donations this quarter. While Salazar received a large number of donations, he also received small checks from individual donors.
Almost (but not) the biggest winner: Charlie Crist. Former University of Florida football coach Doug Dickey liked to say that in order for his team to win, it must first avoid losing. That’s what Crist did in his interview with Nikki Fried, which means he won by not losing.
Crist didn’t make headline-grabbing mistakes, even though Fried tried to bash him for his time in the Republican Party.
He attacked his position on abortion rights, particularly because of the appointment of three Florida Supreme Court justices while he was Governor.
Crist, he said, “has been a supporter his whole life, including today.”
He brushed it off, replying, “You’re losing this campaign. It is time to despair. ”
Indeed, the polls consistently show Crist in a comfortable lead over Fried with the Primary Election less than a month away.
Big winner: DeSantis. The governor enjoyed love (and money) in Tampa from a Moms for Freedom rally. He was a rock star at a private fundraiser in Utah, where attendees shelled out more than $50,000 each for a lunch and reception with DeSantis and $25,000 a couple for lunch. ‘ear.
He also held a breakfast meeting there at a price of $500 per person or $2,500 for breakfast and a photo.
But his biggest success may have come from what DeSantis wasn’t involved in.
Bipartisan Committee Jan. 6 Washington did everything but agree with former President Donald Trump in an orange jumpsuit for his role in the rebellion. On a poignant note, members of Trump’s staff and family asked him to get the protesters to stop.
Instead, Trump watched television and appeared to enjoy the attack.
This is good news for DeSantis, even though Trump has always hinted that he will run for President in 2024. While Trump undoubtedly has a lot of support, big money players know that being with him on top of the ticket to put the party in extreme danger.
On the other hand, Republicans who want to win the White House still see DeSantis as a good choice.
Disrespectful mention: Elisabeth Janai Lancaster. He is running for a seat on the Santa Rosa County School Board. He talks about his Christian values and wants to see prayer return to public school classrooms.
But that’s not why he’s on this list.
At a recent political rally, Lancaster told a cheering audience that doctors who help transition transgender children “should hang from the nearest tree.”
We repeat: The audience cheered.
What’s worse: The statement itself or the reaction it generated?
According to the Pensacola News Journal, Lancaster is the preferred candidate for the Santa Rosa County Republican Party.
When asked if the Party would still support Lancaster, Chairwoman Rita Gunter replied, “No comment.”
Almost (but not quite) the biggest loser: Marco Rubio. Florida’s senior U.S. senator showed complete contempt for the Law of Honor for Marriage. It would codify same-sex and interracial marriage at the federal level.
The House passed the bill with 47 Republicans, including Reps. Florida. Kat Cammack, Mario Díaz-Balart, Carlos Giménez, Brian Mast, María Elvira Salazar and Michael Waltz are all running for Democrats.
Now it goes to the Senate, and we already know how Rubio will vote.
He told CNN’s Manu Raju that the bill is a “stupid waste of time.”
Rubio also told Punchbowl News, “I don’t know why we’re doing that bill; there’s no danger of it standing in America. But I know a lot of gay people in Florida who are upset. with the price of gas.”
Rubio ignores that many conservatives, including three recent additions to the U.S. Supreme Court, have said the same thing about Roe v. Wade. They called it a final, unchangeable law.
During his unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign, Rubio said the decision was unconstitutional. He said when elected, “I will elect Supreme Court justices who will interpret the Constitution as it was originally constructed.”
So, Rubio needs to understand that LGBTQ+ people don’t have much faith in anything coming out of Washington right now.
It is so true that Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that SCOTUS review the federal law that legalized same-sex marriage.
Val Demings, the Democrat who is trying to unseat Rubio, was quick with a statement that undermined his opinion.
“It is sad that Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida called the bipartisan effort to protect the freedom to marry the person you love a ‘stupid waste of time.’ I thought marrying the person you love has always been a good thing.” he said so. .
“Marco Rubio has proven that he has no interest in representing and fighting for all Floridians.”
Florida delegates voting against the bill include Gus Bilirakis, Vern Buchanan, Byron Donalds, Neal Dunn, Scott Franklin, Matt Gaetz, Bill Posey, John Rutherford, Greg Steube and Daniel Webster.
But to be honest, gas is very expensive these days.
Biggest Loser: Florida Homeowners. Hurricane season is almost here, and Florida’s property insurance industry could have gotten worse in time.
Demotech, a rating agency for insurance companies, is set to demote 17 Florida insurers. That could force homeowners to pay much higher rates.
The cuts could mean that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which require mortgages to have minimal property insurance coverage, won’t back those loans.
Is this a good time to remind everyone that Sen. Progressive Republican Jeff Brandes sounded the alarm several months ago about this coming crisis?
DeSantis, instead, has led a culture war against Disney over LGBTQ issues. As time went on, the Governor focused on banning the important teaching of race in schools, which was easy since schools did not teach that.
Lawmakers finally passed what DeSantis called “the most important changes to Florida’s homeowner’s insurance market in a generation.” However, Brandes was skeptical.
He told St. Pete Catalyst that the new bill is “too little, too late.”
