This content was published on August 15, 2021 – 16:33
15.August 2021 – 16:33

(AFP)

Ron DeSantis doesn’t like to talk about the coronavirus. The Florida governor recently clashed with the press and opposition, who questioned him about the resumption of a pandemic in the state, which could threaten a possible dispute for the White House.

From the outset, Republicans refused to introduce masks and facilitated the rapid opening of the economy, almost completely lifting restrictions from September 2020.

The strategy of presenting oneself as an advocate of personal freedom in the face of restrictions promoted by the US health authorities has worked.

Despite the large number of COVID-19 infections, the death rate in Florida was no worse than the national average, the economy grew rapidly, and the governor became the new rising star of his party.

DeSantis is the second most popular politician to lead a party in the 2024 presidential election, after former President Donald Trump, according to a recent poll by Republican Tony Fabrizio.

And while he denies that he thinks of the presidency, the press, analysts and various political opponents have no doubt that he will be running the Republican nomination within three years. However, the pandemic could overshadow the governor’s gaze.

Florida is the second state in the country with the most infections per 100,000 population after Louisiana, and has set records for daily hospitalizations from covid-19 since early August.

“Without a doubt, the current wave of COVID-19 could damage his political future. DeSantis has lost the edge he had a few months ago, and this is largely due to his controversial stance on the coronavirus, ”said J. Edwin Benton, professor. political science at the University of South Florida.

The Republican finished second in the 2022 gubernatorial race with 43.8% of the vote, behind Democrat Charlie Christ, according to a poll in St. Petersburg.

A previous poll by the same company in March gave DeSantis a 45.2% win.

– Trump 2.0 –

Under pressure from criticism, the governor doubled the rate. A few days later, he threatened to withdraw funds from school districts requiring the wearing of masks. He tried in vain to prevent cruise ships from demanding a vaccination certificate from passengers, accused the press of “inciting hysteria” and tried to blame the President of the United States, Democrat Joe Biden.

The man, who political scientist Larry Sabato called “smarter than Trump, a little more cautious and calculating”, does not seem to want to change his mind. The strong similarity between his rude comments and Trump’s message is no coincidence.

He was born in Florida to a working class family and received his honors education at Yale University and Harvard. He knows best of all the former president’s influence on Republican voters.

In 2018, when he was an almost unknown MP and few people were betting on him, he managed to convince the then president to support him as the Republican nominee for governor.

“DeSantis looks like Trump 2.0 because he is where he is, where the Republican Party is, and he wants to be the party’s candidate for president,” explains Sabato.

“But he’s not such a good speaker and doesn’t have the same presence as the former president,” he adds.