Residents of Florida were largely spared a devastating blow from Hurricane Idalia this week, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also appeared to avoid the political peril that could have hurt his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
last year in part to his response to Hurricane Ian, which killed almost 150 people and caused over $100 billion in damage in Florida. On the campaign trail, he frequently cites the reopening of a major bridge just three days after Ian as proof he is an effective administrator.
In the lead-up to the storm, DeSantis held several press conferences per day, always flanked by a bevy of emergency response officials. He has also spoken to President Joe Biden twice in recent days and he has been outwardly careful to separate the hurricane from presidential politics. At one press conference on Wednesday, DeSantis quipped that the toppling of an oak tree near the governor's mansion in Tallahassee during the storm would allow his children more room to play baseball.Ford O'Connell, a Florida Republican strategist, said DeSantis appeared to have acquitted himself well so far.
Republicans say Hurricane Katrina, which killed nearly 2,000 people and devastated New Orleans in 2006, contributed to their steep losses in the 2008 congressional and presidential elections.
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