Donald Trump Touts ‘Big’ Win Over DeSantis in Florida
Donald Trump Touts ‘Big’ Win Over DeSantis in Florida
US President Donald Trump has hailed a major electoral victory in Florida over his presumed 2024 opponent and state governor, Ron DeSantis.
Politico reported on Saturday, calling it a “Florida success for Trump,” that the Florida Republican Party had elected Christian Ziegler, a political strategist with links to previous Trump advisers, as its head. After the previous state party head, Joe Gruters decided not to run for reelection, Ziegler, the group’s former vice chair, defeated Evan Power, the leader of the Leon County GOP, by a vote of 126 to 100. Politico adds that the action has alarmed Governor DeSantis’s internal backers ahead of the 2024 election cycle.
Trump, the first prominent Republican contender to do so, began his presidential campaign for 2024 shortly after last year’s midterm elections. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is the only other Republican to have declared their campaign since then. While no official declaration has been made, DeSantis is generally anticipated to run for president in 2024, given his popularity in national political discussions and the outperformance of Florida GOP candidates in the elections.
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After Ziegler’s triumph, Trump rushed to his social media network, Truth Social, to brag about his accomplishment. While he reposted the story that referred to the election as troubling for DeSantis, the former president stated that Zieger’s victory was a triumph “for EVERYONE.”
“We won a big Chairmanship in Florida over the DeSantis Reps, but actually, it’s a win for ALL,” Trump wrote. “That’s the way we want it. Christian will be a great Chairman!”
While some have promoted the Florida GOP chair election as a proxy struggle between Trump and DeSantis ahead of their projected 2024 primary contest, the real links between the candidates are less evident. Because of his previous work with former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, Ziegler was labeled as more Trump-affiliated. Nonetheless, he has already expressed his support for DeSantis. Bridget Ziegler, his wife, and co-founder of the conservative advocacy group Mothers for Liberty were sponsored by DeSantis when she ran for the Sarasota County school board.
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In speaking with Politico, anonymous advisers close to the race described Ziegler as a strong Trump loyalist and a worrying development for DeSantis. An unidentified DeSantis aide, on the other hand, told the source that the governor was not concerned about the results and was looking forward to working with Ziegler and Power, who will now serve as the party’s vice chair.