ORLANDO, Florida — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took a victory lap for his leadership on the coronavirus during the opening speech of the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Under DeSantis, Florida shied away from economic lockdowns and strict gathering limits, in contrast to other states, led by Democratic and Republican governors, that used both tools to mitigate the health risks posed by a pandemic that is nearly a year old. As a result, Florida has seen an influx of new residents, and its economy has been more resilient than in other states.
Crucially, there is no proof that Floridians suffered remarkably more from the coronavirus than people in states that took the opposite approach.
“Florida got it right, and the lockdown states got it wrong,” DeSantis said to open his CPAC speech, the first of Friday’s session.
The governor, mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2024, also used his remarks to urge assembled conservative activists to reject the Republican establishment and told them they had to be prepared to stand strong in the face of political pressure from Democrats and the Left. DeSantis has been a major booster of former President Donald Trump, and his remarks are an implicit nod in the Palm Beach resident’s direction as a handful of House Republicans, and GOP activists nationally, argue the party should chart a new course.
“We cannot, we will not, go back to the days of the failed Republican establishment of yesteryear,” DeSantis said, adding: “The question is: When the klieg lights get hot, when the Left comes after you, will you stay strong or will you fold?”
