Republicans are taking America’s most un-American governor on tour.
Turning Point Action — the political advocacy arm of Turning Point USA, an organization of young and angry Republicans — announced Monday that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is hitting the campaign trail to stump for a bunch of candidates backed by former President Donald Trump.
His first stop is scheduled for Sunday in Arizona, where he’ll appear alongside Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters. It’s a fitting trifecta given all three Republicans are authoritarian wannabes.
It’s pretty galling for conservatives to bill a candidate so demonstrably opposed to American values like freedom and equality as “America’s governor.”
DeSantis has been positioning himself as a potential 2024 candidate and heir apparent to Trump, mimicking everything from Trump’s illiberal politics and his ill-fitting suits to his hand movements and even his propensity for incorrect capitalization. Lake and Masters, both endorsed by Trump, are hoping the DeSantis endorsement will help thrust them into power.
Frequent readers of The ReidOut Blog know the Florida governor’s rap sheet is rife with desperate power grabs. That includes his decision to draw his own state’s congressional maps in a way that favors him and harms Black voters, his attempt to indoctrinate teachers and students with whitewashed history lessons, and his plan to punish businesses that don’t acquiesce to his bigoted ways.
All this explains why Turning Point Action founder Charlie Kirk (seen here sounding very fascist) referred to DeSantis as “America’s governor” in a recent interview with Fox News.
It’s not because DeSantis loves America or the people in it — it’s because he has a plan to own them both, and he’s been the conservative most effective in executing it. Sure, that’s popular among Republicans. But Turning Point Action is betting it appeals to an even broader audience, and DeSantis has yet to prove that.
Arizona won’t be his last stop, however. The DeSantis stump tour is slated to travel to Ohio, where he’ll campaign for Trump-backed Senate candidate J.D. Vance. He’ll also campaign with Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, who’s been subpoenaed by the House Jan. 6 committee.
It’s pretty galling for conservatives to bill a candidate so demonstrably opposed to American values like freedom and equality as “America’s governor.” But it’s instructive, as well. DeSantis’ rise to prominence shows the party won’t be rid of its antidemocratic forces even if Trump doesn’t run in 2024. Republican lawmakers and voters have an appetite for a despot. And DeSantis is answering the call.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.