DeSantis touts Florida approach during California visit

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis informed a crowd in Simi Valley on Sunday that the “woke thoughts virus” infiltrating colleges, firms and different establishments in California and different Democratic strongholds led to an inflow of residents to his state, exhibiting the recognition of his anti-liberal insurance policies.

Extensively seen as a contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, DeSantis took a light poke at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a lot to the delight of the roughly 1,000 individuals who got here to see him on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and lashed out on the pandemic shutdowns and vaccine mandates in what has develop into grist for his rise in reputation throughout the GOP.

“Now we have had an incredible experiment, an incredible take a look at in governance philosophies,” DeSantis informed an auidence within the library’s spacious Air Drive One Pavilion. “The American folks … have voted with their ft. And in the event you look over the past 4 years, we’ve witnessed an incredible American exodus from states ruled by leftist politicians imposing leftist ideology and delivering poor outcomes.”

Lacing his remarks with statistics evaluating Florida’s report on schooling, enterprise creation, tourism, unemployment and different measures with states similar to California and New York, DeSantis stated his state’s outcomes “converse for themselves.”

DeSantis’ look in Simi Valley attracted each conservative luminaries, together with former California Gov. Pete Wilson and actor Gary Sinise, and a throng of largely peaceable protesters. Nonetheless, one of many entry indicators to the library was spray painted with “Ron DeFascist” in a single day. Simi Valley police stated there have been no witnesses and that library workers cleaned it earlier than the occasion.

Attendees arriving on the library have been greeted by about 100 protesters, many holding rainbow flags exhibiting assist for the LGBTQ neighborhood. “Say homosexual on a regular basis,” learn one protester’s signal, a reference to laws DeSantis signed generally known as the “Don’t say homosexual” legislation by critics as a result of it prohibits the dialogue of sexual orientation and gender identification in kindergarten-through-third-grade lecture rooms.

“I stand as a 52-year-old homosexual male who had the braveness to struggle in what I imagine in,” stated protester Ernest Cornish, who lives in Hollywood and runs a pictures enterprise. “God created me in his picture, the best way he supposed me to be.”

Jane Wishon, a 67-year-old retiree from West Los Angeles, stated DeSantis’ rhetoric on points similar to transgender folks’s potential to make use of the restrooms of their decisions is “harmful.”

“Othering teams it doesn’t matter what they’re … makes some folks really feel higher about themselves, however that’s not what our nation is based on,” she stated.

DeSantis’ go to to California consists of an look Sunday night time at a personal fundraiser for the Orange County Republican Occasion in Anaheim.

Throughout his speech in Simi Valley, DeSantis touted his report on schooling, together with the restrictions on classroom dialogue of gender identification amongst younger college students, banning crucial race principle, limiting tenure safety for college professors and growing faculty selection choices, together with scholarships to non-public colleges.

“We aren’t going to show our college students to hate this nation or to hate one another. We aren’t going to divide college students on the idea of pores and skin shade. We’re going to train them what’s essential is the content material of their character,” he stated. “I imagine mother and father ought to be capable to ship their children to elementary faculty with out having an agenda jammed down their throats.”

The Florida governor, whose spouse and two of his three youngsters have been in attendance, stated he seen these points not solely as a legislator but in addition as a “dad.”

Although DeSantis will not be elevating cash for himself throughout this California journey, he’s assembly with rich donors and influential Republican Occasion leaders right here and at occasions throughout the nation as he promotes his new e book, “The Braveness to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival.” Extra stops are deliberate within the coming weeks in Alabama and Florida, in addition to the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

Shortly earlier than the e book was launched Tuesday, the Florida governor spoke out towards Democratic insurance policies throughout appearances in New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois.

Though DeSantis didn’t point out Newsom by identify, he poked at him as he began his speech. DeSantis has a long-running feud with Newsom, who has accused the Florida governor to being a bully and criticized his method to abortion, immigration and different points.

“Your governor could be very involved about what we’re doing in Florida, so I figured I needed to come by,” DeSantis stated Sunday, to applause and laughter.

Newsom, in an announcement launched Sunday, welcomed DeSantis to the “actual freedom state.”

“Simply take a look at the info — California residents are safer, more healthy and extra affluent than these unlucky sufficient to have you ever as their governor,” Newsom stated. “Oh, by the best way, you’re going to get smoked by Trump.”

The sprawling mountaintop presidential library the place DeSantis appeared is residence to replicas of the White Home’s Oval Workplace, Rose Backyard and South Garden in addition to the graves of Reagan and his spouse, Nancy. A number of 4 GOP main debates, the library has virtually develop into a requisite pilgrimage for Republican presidential hopefuls.

That is notably true within the lead-up to the 2024 presidential marketing campaign given California’s early March main, which may very well be influential in figuring out the social gathering’s nominee due to the dimensions of the state’s delegation on the Republican Nationwide Conference.

Others who’ve spoken there embrace former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has introduced a White Home bid, in addition to former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and former Wisconsin Rep. Liz Cheney.

About 37% of California Republican voters again DeSantis within the presidential contest, whereas 29% desire former President Trump, in keeping with a ballot launched in late February by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Research that was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Instances. The opposite GOP leaders talked about above in addition to different potential candidates acquired single-digit assist within the survey.

DeSantis is seen by some GOP political operatives because the social gathering’s finest probability to cease Trump from profitable the nomination and sinking their possibilities of defeating President Biden.

Trump has already set his sights on his fellow Floridian, giving DeSantis nicknames similar to “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

On Sunday, DeSantis didn’t point out Trump throughout his 45-minute speech. As an alternative, he centered on one other former president — Reagan — by arguing that his efforts align with the priorities and core beliefs of the nation’s fortieth president.

“It’s not simple to struggle the fights. Once we get up and also you’re standing for what’s proper, and also you’re standing for the issues that President Reagan stood for, and so many different nice leaders, there’s a value to that on this day. The left will not be going to allow you to advance his agenda with out contesting it. They’ll smear you, they’ll assault you,” he stated. However “we have to win the struggle for freedom, and if we do, we shall be profitable another for the Gipper.”