Florida Governor Ron DeSantis won a resounding victory last night that gave Republicans in Florida and across the country a significant morale boost in what was otherwise in underwhelming night.
While the red wave looked more like a red ripple across the country, it tore through Florida as statewide Republicans walked away with double-digit wins and Republicans picked up three Congressional seats.
DeSantis took a brief victory lap on election night, thanking supporters for their hard work to deliver a massive victory for Republicans in the state.
He summed up the momentous occasion by saying, “Thank you, Florida. Freedom is here to stay.” on Twitter, his only public statement discussing the election results from the midterms.
Thank you, Florida.
Freedom is here to stay. pic.twitter.com/UYZy2C1kHO
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantisFL) November 9, 2022
After celebrating a historic victory for Florida Republicans, DeSantis got back to work to navigate Florida through Hurricane Nicole.
As of 7 p.m., Nicole was 20 miles east-northeast of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, and 100 miles east of West Palm Beach. The storm had hurricane-level winds at 75 mph and was moving west at 13 mph.
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Regardless of where the hurricane makes landfall, it is expected to bring hurricane-like conditions to Central Florida and dangerously high winds to inland Florida.
The hurricane is already causing flooding throughout Florida in coastal areas.
Water is starting to rush past the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk and onto Michigan Street. @wsvn #HurricaneNicole pic.twitter.com/8wLRTfKxsK
— Marisela Burgos (@MBurgosNews) November 9, 2022
DeSantis and Floridians, mirroring their response to Hurricane Ian, were already preparing to provide relief to people affected by the hurricane and restore power across the state.
Christina Pushaw gave a firsthand account of linemen getting ready to restore power to people affected by the hurricane on the Florida Turnpike.
I spent most of the day driving up the Florida turnpike and passed SO MANY linemen getting ready to restore power to everyone’s homes and businesses after the storm hits. Again feeling fortunate to live in the great state of Florida. https://t.co/raEq4HRrlu
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) November 9, 2022
For his part, Governor DeSantis said that he already has 16,000 linemen staged across the state, hundreds of National Guardsmen activated, and multiple search and rescue teams on standby.
He also declared a state of emergency in 34 counties in Florida.
On Monday, I declared a state of emergency for 34 counties to ensure Floridians had time to get ready. The state is prepared to respond to this storm.
We have 16,000 linemen staged, 600 guardsmen activated, and 7 Urban Search and Rescue teams on standby to deploy.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 9, 2022
Social media users acknowledged DeSantis’ strong leadership as he immediately got back to work solving the problems that matter to Floridians just a day after Florida Republicans won blowout victories across the state.
“Ron DeSantis literally woke up after winning Florida by 20 points and went to do a press conference on Hurricane Nicole. He’s the most focused leader we’ve seen in years.” One Twitter user said.
Ron DeSantis literally woke up after winning Florida by 20 points, and went to do a press conference on Hurricane Nicole. He’s the most focused leader we’ve seen in years.
DeSantis is the future of the GOP. End of discussion.
— Christian Walker (@ChristianWalk1r) November 9, 2022
Another user lamented that DeSantis was still the Governor of Florida as the state was about to be hit by another hurricane just weeks after Hurricane Ian touched down in Florida.
Y’all please pray for Florida. DeSantis is still our governor and we’re about to get bitch slapped by another hurricane 🙄 #HurricaneNicole
— AquaTofana (@Anafotauqa) November 9, 2022
Christina Puhsaw highlighted the fact that Democrats tried to seize on Hurricane Ian as a last-ditch effort to gain momentum in the final weeks before the midterm elections in a move that likely turned off Florida voters.
Florida Dem Party got humiliated last night bc they campaigned on politics of personal destruction instead of working with Gov DeSantis. The pathetic attempt by some FlaDems to politicize Hurricane Ian was the last straw. You cant just be a critic. You have to stand for something https://t.co/f0LOKsSOwo
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) November 9, 2022
You may also like: Election Night Roundup: Republicans Crush Democrats Across the Board in Florida
Be sure to read: Full Speed Ahead: All Signs Point Towards a Republican Blowout on Tuesday Night: Here’s Why
