Is Ron Desantis the New Hope of the Republican Party?

The Next Trump?
Ron Desantis has been the rising star in the American political scene since his distinct management of the COVID-19 crisis in Florida. As Florida’s governor since 2019, Desantis is being praised by many Republicans as the new leading force of the Republican party. While Desantis’ decisions during the pandemic and his fight against “wokeness” in Florida may have allowed him to become a national figure, his battle with former president Donald Trump seems to have hyped him up as a future presidential nominee of the G.O.P.

Trump’s Recent Downfalls
The poor leadership of Donald Trump during last November’s Midterm elections is blamed as the main cause of the Republican party’s failure during the election. Although the Republicans had a significant advantage over the Democrats speaking in terms of history and expectations, they were only able to secure the House of Representatives in the Midterm elections. The anticipation of a “Red Wave” in America was prevalent among many experts due to two main reasons. The first being the issue of abortion rights in the United States, which was recently overturned in the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade. President Biden and the administration disappointed their supporters, while the Republican party was able to solidify its position through tackling the Democrats for their hypocrisy. In addition to such disappointment, the historical global inflation that aroused from the Biden administration’s economic policies have caused an uproar in the voting population. While this may have been inevitable due to the unprecedented scale of fiscal stimulus implemented in 2021 (most representatively the American Rescue Plan, which is worth 1.9 trillion), the administration’s indifferent position towards such issues turned the support of many Democratic party supporters. Other smaller issues were a part of the discussion, which includes the G.O.P. 's continuous attacks toward president Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, who has been prosecuted for exploitation and past drug usage.

Such disadvantages explain why many experts expected the Republican party to take both the Senate and the House, which was surprisingly untrue in the end. The reason why this Midterm election season was important was because it would determine the chances of Ron Desantis’ presidential campaign in 2024, as well as the decision of Donald Trump to officially announce his run in 2024. While Trump’s announcement before the first day of the Midterm elections was controversial, it also boosted the support of neutral individuals who usually have hostility to extreme MAGA forces. Therefore, the Republican victory under Donald Trump in this election would have signified his possible reelection in the 2024 presidential campaign, which did not occur due to his adamant candidate choice that could not gain the hearts of the voters.

The two biggest states in the Midterm election season regarding the control of the Senate was Pennsylvania and Georgia, where Trump’s two hand picked candidates were running against the Democratic party. Pennsylvania was acquainted with Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic expert at Columbia University, while Georgia was campaigned by Herschel Walker, a former American football player. The Democrats presented John Fetterman in Pennsylvania and Raphael Warnock in Georgia. Each competition was below a 5% point difference, while the race in Georgia had to be sent to a runoff. In the end, both hand picked candidates of Donald Trump lost the election, becoming the main cause of the Republican loss in the Senate.


How Is Desantis Different?
On the other hand, Ron Desantis was greeted back into the position of governor of Florida with a historical victory, with a difference of 1.5 million votes. This was especially due to the increased support of the Latino voters, who altered their position in the Midterm elections and chose Desantis. Desantis and his speech after the victory seemed to show glimpses of Desantis’ ambitions of reaching the White House.

Despite Ron Desantis’ recent popularity in the United States, not many would have expected him to be the biggest threat to Donald Trump. It is arguable that many would have even though there would be no Republican competition for Trump in the next presidential election season. However, with Desantis’ historical win in Florida and the national recognition he is getting, it seems that Trump will have to make a big turn around in public view after his major loss in the Midterm elections. CNN criticized Trump’s statement before the elections when he hysterically said “I think if they win, I should get all the credit, and if they lose, I should not be blamed at all.” They called this statement the “Trumpiest thing possible about the election,” exposing Trump and his major failure in 2022. Now with the presidential election coming closer and closer, the 2024 Republican nominee seems to be hidden in the fog.