President Trump remains King among the Florida Men.
One word from Trump has shaken up the governor’s race there, catapulting Rep. Ron DeSantis over Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam in the Republican primary. Once an underdog, DeSantis has become the heavy favorite to take the nomination.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way, though. Putnam had a bigger bucket of money and better name recognition statewide. As one Florida political consultant put it, Putnam could have easily smothered DeSantis “in the crib.”
And earlier on, it looked like Putnam would put an end to his opponent’s promising political career. A Fox News poll had him up over DeSantis by 15 points. That was June 15 and the last time Putnam had the lead. The next week, Trump dropped his full endorsement, and DeSantis has climbed steadily in the polls ever since.
Congressman Ron DeSantis, a top student at Yale and Harvard Law School, is running for Governor of the Great State of Florida. Ron is strong on Borders, tough on Crime & big on Cutting Taxes – Loves our Military & our Vets. He will be a Great Governor & has my full Endorsement!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2018
A Gravis poll showed DeSantis up 6 percentage points earlier in July. A Florida Atlantic University pegged the DeSantis advantage at 9 points the next week. A Mason Dixon poll, the most recent survey, reported DeSantis ahead by a stunning 11 points.
Almost a month before the Aug. 28 election day, the Sun Sentinel reports that DeSantis “has so much momentum he may be unstoppable.” He has one man to thank: Donald Trump.
The Trumps have torn through the state like a political tropical storm. The president did his endorsement, then sent his boy, Donald Trump Jr., down to the state during the middle of July, and next week, Trump Jr. will return to the campaign trail for DeSantis. They have such hurricane force because Trump enjoys an overall popularity rating of 41 percent in the Sunshine State.
Something is different about this race than the ones the president has waded into before, though. Trump went an abysmal 1-for-4 on his endorsements last year. The Florida race is an outlier because here, Trump has a candidate who can make the most of his support.
DeSantis comes straight out of the central casting Trump is always talking about. He comes from working-class roots, graduated from Yale and Harvard Law School, and served as a JAG Officer. That background, plus real skill as a retail politician, combined with a presidential endorsement, make DeSantis the GOP nominee-in-waiting.
