Governor and potential 2024 Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis (R-FL) may be harvesting the bitter fruit of tragedy. The tragedy is the jump in Covid cases that may be traceable to his policies, and here’s the harvest:
DeSantis is now underwater with 49% of voters; only 44% approve of his job performance.
The latest surge of COVID-19 might be catching up with Gov. Ron DeSantis.
A new poll from St. Pete Polls finds the Governor’s approval rating has sagged considerably, with more Floridians now saying they do not approve of the job DeSantis is doing than those who say they approve.
The poll, which was conducted Monday and Tuesday among 3,952 likely Florida voters through an automated phone polling system, also found DeSantis falling behind one Democratic rival for the 2022 gubernatorial election, trailing Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist. DeSantis has a slight lead on Democratic Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in the poll.
The poll also shows Floridians are not in agreement with DeSantis when it comes to his opposition to mask mandates for school children. [Scott Powers, Florida Politics]
But here’s the funny thing: Will Republicans care?
After all, it’s all fake news, as DeSantis would have his base believe:
Despite a record number of COVID-19 patients at hospitals across the state and dire warnings from the Florida Hospital Association, Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed capacity concerns as news media “hysteria” and insisted “our hospitals are open for business.” His comments came Tuesday as people hospitalized with the coronavirus in Florida rose to an all-time high of 11,515, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [The Orlando Sentinel, via MaddowBlog]
But this Mayo Clinic set of maps suggests differently. They suggest Florida is leading the nation in Covid infections; this can be taken as a proxy for irresponsibility.
DeSantis may be running for reelection next year as well, and the polling data suggests Floridians are not entirely happy with a leadership team that prioritizes ignorant freedom over health and safety.
But does this apparent failure to perform really matter? If DeSantis wins the Republican nomination for the Presidency in 2024, I shall be unsurprised, because competency and experience is hardly a priority with the Republican base, at least not in the past. It’s all single issue ideology and, at least in some parts of country, the sanctification of the candidate by Trump, which is how DeSantis managed to get elected in 2018.
Will unforced errors such as these not change their minds? There’s some evidence that unnecessary deaths are bringing home to Republican voters the importance of competency and a link to reality, but I think this is only a small infringement on Republican territory.
Most Republicans inclined to respect reality are ex-Republicans now.
If DeSantis can’t make his lies stick, his future will depend on how devoted Republican voters are to single issue ideology, which I find a bit terrifying.
