Tipsheet

Ron DeSantis Already Put One Potential Gubernatorial Challenger in a Political Body Bag

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  June 04, 2021 6:00 AM

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is riding high. His state is reopened. He’s owned the liberal media over his handling of the COVID crisis. His job approval is through the roof. DeSantis is not just an item for Florida politics, but seen as the successor to leading the Trump coalition should the former president opt not to run again in 2024.

The Democratic field so far consists of Rep. Val Demmings, Charlie Crist, and now Nikki Fried, the state’s agriculture commissioner. Is DeSantis in trouble? Not right now, not with these poll numbers. And if he delivers uppercuts like the one he landed on Fried—he’s going to cruise to re-election. DeSantis pretty much torched her gubernatorial run before it began, calling her a "lockdown lobbyist," and an elected official who has done literally nothing (via Fox News):

"Nikki Fried has done nothing in office. She does nothing," DeSantis said according to Florida Politics. "All she does is emote on social media, virtue signal to small dollar donors in California and New York. She put her face, spent millions of dollars to put her face on every gas pump across this state, purely to boost her own image at your expense as a taxpayer."

"She’s a lockdown lobbyist. She would have had our kids locked out of school for the entire year. She would have had this business shuttered for the whole year. They would be out of business if Fried were governor," he continued according to Florida Politics.

Fried went after DeSantis on Tuesday for signing a law prohibiting transgender girls from competing in girls' sports in public schools.

DeSantis added that he did more for Florida his first week as governor than she has done during her entire time as agriculture commissioner.