Sunburn — The Morning Read Of What’s Hot In Florida Politics — 6.24.22

By Peter Schorsch

Good Friday morning.

Do Floridians owe Donald Trump a ‘thank you?’

If former President Trump had not endorsed Ron DeSantis for Governor four years ago, we’d be three-and-a-half years into the Andrew Gillum administration.

There was a time when a Gov. Gillum was seen as likely. Polls in the lead-up to Election Day consistently showed him with the edge over DeSantis.

Some made the outcome seem inevitable. For those who don’t remember, Quinnipiac released a poll showing Gillum up by a touchdown the day before the election.

But DeSantis managed the upset — and make no mistake, it was an upset. DeSantis may be a rising star today, but five years ago, he was a backbencher Congressman who polled two points behind Carlos Lopez Cantera in the race to succeed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.

When he filed for Governor, he was considered little more than a pre-fight warmup for Adam Putnam.

Trump changed that with a tweet.

The DeSantis campaign took that endorsement and drove it until the wheels fell off in the Primary, even producing a TV ad where DeSantis repeats many of Trump’s catchphrases to his young children.

Sure, Republican Primaries are not General Elections. But Trump did more than offer an endorsement. He also showed up to campaign for DeSantis in person, headlining campaign rallies for him in the final stretch of the race.

Trump wasn’t setting presidential popularity records at the time (or ever), but his consistent, visible and vocal support helped DeSantis’ campaign overcome blunders that some thought would kill his campaign. Gillum had blundered, too — the seeds that led to his recent federal indictment had already started sprouting, but they mainly were brushed off.

The result: DeSantis by about 32,000 votes.

It’s impossible to know how many Floridians turned out for DeSantis on Election Day because he was Trump’s man, but 32,000 would be a conservative estimate.

So, Donald Trump, thank you for saving Florida. Maybe.

___

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist’s campaign for Governor will show another $600,000 raised in its campaign finance report covering the first half of June.

The campaign said the new money flowed in from more than 8,000 individual donors and put Crist’s to-date total near the $11 million mark.

The new report also puts Crist’s campaign on track for its fourth consecutive $1 million month — once the rest of June’s receipts are reported.

“The people of Florida deserve nothing less than a Governor with a heart who is ready to fight for them each and every day — I could not be more humbled to receive their support in our campaign’s mission to deliver compassionate leadership back to our state,” Crist said in a news release.

“This November, we’re going to make Ron DeSantis a one-term Governor so we can start tackling the real issues facing our neighbors and put the people first. I’m ready to fight alongside you for a Florida for all.”

Crist also touted momentum outside the money race, highlighting recent endorsements from Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, the Florida chapter of SEIU, and Sen. Annette Taddeo, a former rival in the gubernatorial Primary.

The other prominent Democrat in the race, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, hadn’t highlighted her mid-June numbers by Thursday evening. However, Friday is the deadline for submitting reports covering June 1-17.

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@Twitter: ratios build character

—@GeorgeHahn: Why would innocent people need preemptive pardons?

—@MarcoRubio: The gas tax holiday is stupid The small savings will create more demand of the same limited supply & actually lead to higher prices

—@AndrewWarrenFL: Disappointed but not surprised by SCOTUS striking down a reasonable regulation on concealed carry. Scalia even said 2A is not unlimited. Gun laws are as American as gun ownership; they’ve gone hand-in-hand throughout our history. More guns with less oversight make us less safe.

—@JackPosobiec: Trump really saved Florida when he pushed DeSantis past Gillum 0.4% difference in 2018 and Gillum would be Governor today

—@BiancaJoanie: Despite not qualifying to be on the ballot this fall, David Rivera tells Telemundo he’s going to campaign in West Kendall & The Hammocks regardless

—@MDixon55: Any job posting for a Florida political reporter should include the line “must be willing to wear suits and/or dress clothes in or around Disney resort pools”

Tweet, tweet:

Tweet, tweet:

—@ChrisLatvala: I do not understand how the Angels can have the 2 greatest players on the planet and be as bad as they are.