Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd and his brother Donnie Van Zant recently penned the song “Sweet Florida” — just in time for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s reelection campaign. DeSantis even shared the tune to his Rumble account on Friday.
The state’s Republican primary is coming up on Aug. 23. The one-term governor is only facing one other Republican: John Joseph Mercadante.
The song’s official music video doubles as an election ad, interspersed with shots on DeSantis on the campaign trail. “Sweet Florida” references COVID-19 lockdowns, Dr. Anthony Fauci, “Brandon” (a nickname for President Joe Biden), and freedom.
Some of the lyrics say, “Well, we ain’t been locked down. We still have our freedom. We can still see our friends and family. Oh, our kids are in school and we can go to church on Sunday. And it’s all because DeSantis knows how to lead.”
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Another line reads, “He’s shootin’ us straight, telling us the truth.” The melody concludes by saying, “Our governor, he’s red, white, and blue.”
Social media users, including the governor himself, reacted to the video on all platforms. DeSantis thanked the band for the song in a Friday tweet.
Thanks to Johnny & Donnie Van Zant. I have a feeling this might be the song of the summer…https://t.co/FzrPTkCfs9 pic.twitter.com/k6rk48tzq8
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantisFL) April 1, 2022
“The gratitude for [DeSantis] and his courageous leadership is so appreciated that rock legends wrote a song about it,” the governor’s wife Casey DeSantis tweeted.
The gratitude for @RonDeSantisFL and his courageous leadership is so appreciated that rock legends wrote a song about it.
Thank you to Johnny and Donnie Van Zant — your hit will be the song of the summer! Our Governor is truly red, white and blue. ??https://t.co/qhMlO6tWXV
— Casey DeSantis (@CaseyDeSantis) April 1, 2022
“Van Zant wrote the song of the summer in dedication to the free state of Florida and [the] Governor’s leadership,” Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez tweeted.
Van Zant wrote the song of the summer in dedication to the free state of Florida and Governor @RonDeSantisFL‘s leadership.
Check it out ⬇️?https://t.co/SXCv9rgndX | #KeepFloridaFree https://t.co/OYyioqs6oM
— Jeanette M. Nuñez (@JeanetteNunezFL) April 1, 2022
Meanwhile, others compared Van Zant to his late brother.
“Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant died decades ago,” the Palmer Report tweeted. “His talentless kid brother, who now tours with a band that calls itself ‘Lynyrd Skynyrd’ but has little connection to the seventies band of the same name, is the one doing the Ron DeSantis campaign song. It’s all a bad joke.”
Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant died decades ago. His talentless kid brother, who now tours with a band that calls itself “Lynyrd Skynyrd” but has little connection to the seventies band of the same name, is the one doing the Ron DeSantis campaign song. It’s all a bad joke.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) April 1, 2022
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The original music video on Rumble has received over 54,000 views as of this report.
