Hurricane Ian is proving to be a political disruptor less than six weeks out from the November midterms in Florida and is seen as a make-or-break moment for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). The Florida governor, who is up for reelection this year against Democrat Charlie Crist and is a widely floated potential 2024 GOP presidential candidate, will be judged on whether he can successfully navigate the figurative and literal headwinds of the storm.
It's a high-risk, high-reward situation for DeSantis as Floridians look to the governor for expertise and guidance. If he's able to limit as much of the damage that's within his control and can put politics aside to work with Democrats, including President Biden, he's likely to be rewarded for that in November. But any suggestion of the opposite or any fumbles in the state's response could jeopardize his political standing as a gubernatorial or possible presidential candidate.
As our Max Greenwood writes, it's already complicating the gubernatorial race given that the natural disaster is putting more of the spotlight on DeSantis and limiting how Crist can turn voters' attention toward him.
Key quote: "He can try to pitch in and be helpful — make announcements about being safe and certainly pitch in after the hurricane passes," Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at the University of Central Florida, told Max. "But those are all somewhat limited, especially compared to the governor. Crist has a few things he could do but not a whole lot."
At the same time, Hurricane Ian became a test of how well Biden and DeSantis could set aside their own politics and work together as our Alex Gangitano and Brett Samuels write. The two did so last year after the Surfside, Fla., condominium collapse, but since then have been politically at odds, especially as DeSantis made a name for himself during the COVID-19 pandemic by railing against the Biden administration's COVID-19 mandates.
But in recent days, the tune between the two has shifted somewhat as the Florida governor said he was open to briefing the president about the disaster, and after the White House was pressed earlier this week on why the president hadn't yet reached out to DeSantis about the hurricane, Biden ultimately contacted the Florida governor.
"Voters expect politicians of all stripes to put down their swords when a disaster strikes, and it's always advantageous to be able to cite one high-profile bipartisan action when challenged about your bipartisan bona fides," Stewart Verdery, a former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security under former President George W. Bush, told Alex and Brett.
No comments:
Post a Comment