Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was named one of TIME Magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ finalists this week.
The magazine’s annual release of the Person of the Year is typically their most anticipated issue.
TIME has previously stated that the title does not necessarily involve moral or ethical considerations and instead selects “the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year.”
The other finalists were Chinese President Xi Jinping, the United States Supreme Court, Twitter, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Representative Liz Cheney, R-Wy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Jeff Bezos’s ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, the protesters in Iran, Treasury Department Secretary Janet Yellen, and gun safety advocates.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ landslide reelection and his battle against what he calls the "woke agenda" of liberals has brought him more attention on the national stage — and it could earn him the title of Time Magazine's 2022 Person of the Year. https://t.co/TEGSbbfK3d
— FOX 13 Tampa Bay (@FOX13News) December 6, 2022
DeSantis has quickly become America’s most talked-about Governor as he has been held out as the primary opponent of a woke agenda in the United States after signing the Parental Rights in Education bill, what liberals call the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.
Additionally, with the midterms behind most Americans beyond the Georgia runoff election occurring Tuesday, most people have shifted their attention to the 2024 Presidential election.
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DeSantis is considered a top contender if he declares his candidacy, with many holding him out as the only real threat to former President Donald Trump.
2024 National Republican Primary:
Trump 47%
DeSantis 28%
Pence 8%
Haley 3%
Noem 2%
Youngkin 1%
T. Scott 1%Zogby Poll, 864 LV, November 9-11https://t.co/DxXZpJ5iVe
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) November 29, 2022
Opinions on social media were polarized about who deserves to be named the TIME Magazine Person of the Year.
Many agreed that DeSantis or Musk deserved the award for supporting free speech and combatting wokeness but were pessimistic that liberal favorites such as Cheney would win out.
I feel DeSantis or Musk deserve it but I have a sneaky suspicion Cheney will get it cause she's a lib in disguise and Time magazine loves libs.
— Berner (@Berner_GC) December 5, 2022
Joe Concha, Media and Politics columnist for The Hill, said that Zelenskyy, Musk, or DeSantis deserve the title while calling Yellen and Cheney’ laughable choices’.
Zelenskyy will likely win. But Musk and DeSantis definitely deserve consideration. Liz Cheney and Janet Yellen are laughable choices. Not a fan of entities being chosen (in this year’s case, the Supreme Court). It’s *Person* of the Year, after all. https://t.co/nbQXNtGPjQ
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) December 6, 2022
Other users were dismayed that Musk and DeSantis were nominated to be finalists.
Some were quick to remember that Adolf Hitler was once the TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year and analogized Musk and DeSantis to Hitler.
“Hitler was a Time Magazine Person of the Year once, seems quite fitting that DeSantis would follow in his jackbooted footsteps.” One user said.
Hitler was a Time Magazine Person of the Year once, seems quite fitting that DeSantis would follow in his jackbooted footsteps.
— Lucy #ExhaustedMajority🇺🇸 Rowles 🌷💀⏳ (@LuluMcTavish) December 6, 2022
Another user lamented that DeSantis was nominated as a finalist while Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was not, claiming that DeSantis “dishes out cruelty to the LGBT community.”
Definitely Zelenskyy, but I’m appalled DeSantis would be on this list. Whitmer is continually overlooked by the press, yet she accomplished so many positive things for people, while DeSantis dishes out cruelty to the LGBTQ community and bans books that discuss inclusion.
— DiDi (@Pasqualiba) December 6, 2022
Despite DeSantis being a subject of controversy in the media, he remains one of America’s most popular Governors. A Morning Consult tracker ranks DeSantis as the seventh most popular Governor in the United States, with a net approval rating of +36%.
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