What Ron DeSantis' victory means for Florida's swing state status

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis handily secured re-election against Democratic challenger and former state Gov. Charlie Crist, according to an 8 p.m. ET race call from The Associated Press.
As of 9 p.m., DeSantis commanded 59 percent of the vote, while Crist held onto just 40.4. Notably, DeSantis will be the first GOP gubernatorial candidate since Jeb Bush to carry Miami-Dade County, and he is also winning in the mostly Latino and typically blue — at least in recent years — Osceola County, Semafor reports.
With his re-election campaign now in the rearview, DeSantis' focus will "almost immediately turn to 2024," CNN predicts. The Donald Trump-esque governor — who has increasingly butted heads with the former president in recent weeks — is potentially in the mix for the Republican presidential nomination, though that might all hinge on what Trump decides to do. In the event of a run, however, he's got $60 million left in his war chest, "which he can now use to further build up his name in early voting states on the presidential primary calendar," adds HuffPost.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
DeSantis' blowout victory also "reinforces Florida's transition in recent election cycles from a swing state to one that leans Republican," writes The Wall Street Journal; not for nothing, the number of registered Republicans surpassed that of registered Democrats "for the first time in Florida history last year," the Journal adds. And moreover, GOP Sen. Marco Rubio's (Fla.) easy Tuesday win, despite having been "vastly outspent" by opponent Rep. Val Demings, only looks to further cement that shift.
Quipped Puck's Julia Ioffe: "I'm old enough to remember when Florida was a swing state."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Why the world is going mad about Taylor Swift's wedding
The pop star unveiled diamond ring in cosy snaps with fiancé Travis Kelce earlier this week
-
Hostage: Netflix's 'fun, fast and brash potboiler'
The Week Recommends Suranne Jones is 'relentlessly defiant' as prime minister Abigail Dalton
-
France political crisis: what does Bayrou's gamble mean for Macron?
Today's Big Question The French president could see his authority damaged beyond repair should another of his governments fail
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportation
Speed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda
-
Trump arms National Guard in DC, threatens other cities
speed read His next targets are Chicago, New York and Baltimore
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records request
Speed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material