Conservatives rushed to Twitter on Tuesday to spike the football when Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis was quickly projected to defeat Charlie Crist to secure another term as Florida’s chief executive.
DeSantis, a former three-term congressman who was narrowly elected governor in 2018, has seen his popularity soar among conservatives in Florida and across the country the past two and a half years, courtesy of his forceful pushback against coronavirus pandemic restrictions and his aggressive actions as a culture wars warrior.
"Florida is now the base of the Republican Party. Absolute destruction of Democrats by @GovRonDeSantis & @marcorubio. Truly an unprecedented level of dominance. Incredible. Being right on covid has its rewards. Well done, guys. Love it," Outkick founder Clay Travis wrote.
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"Congratulations to Governor DeSantis. I hope you beat my margin of victory and win my home county. You have done a very fine job as Governor of the state I love," Jeb Bush wrote.
Guy Benson declared that "final margins are going to be breathtaking" roughly 12 hours after Crist declared "today is the day we vote Ron DeSantis out."
Popular Twitter account AG Hamilton wrote that it’s "stunning how much DeSantis has managed to move Florida to the red."
DeSantis grabbed more national attention and sparked new controversy in recent months by flying migrants from Texas to the progressive bastion of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts this summer, spotlighting his tough stance on the issue of illegal immigration. Many on the left predicted the move would hurt him on Election Day, but such predictions proved to be wrong.
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"Fox calls Florida for DeSantis, who is currently leading Charlie Crist by 15 points. Recent presidential races in FL have been close, making this margin eye-popping, especially considering state and national press coverage being overwhelmingly negative," Fox News contributor Joe Concha wrote.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald called it a "huge, quick and easy win" for DeSantis.
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Many others took to Twitter with thoughts on DeSantis’ victory:
The Fox News Decision Desk also says Republican Sen. Marco Rubio has defeated Democratic Rep. Val Demings, with millions of votes in.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
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