Ron DeSantis’s wife Casey took to Twitter Tuesday to tease an upcoming ad for her husband, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, touting how he kept open schools, businesses and indeed the entire state in contrast to the Draconian policies of many other big-state leaders. “Soon you will start seeing this statewide…” she writes. The moving commercial then shows real people thanking the governor for his leadership during the pandemic:
The ad was paid for by the Republican Party of Florida.
“Today we deliver for the people of Florida yet again,” the Governor begins. We then cut to a waitress in a restaurant, who says, “You saved our jobs.” A cook replies, “And kept us going.”
“They tried to shut us down, but you saved our business,” says a grateful mechanic. “You led by facts, not fear,” says a medical professional agrees. “You let me go to school,” says a young child. “You protected our right to worship together–in person,” says a man standing outside a church.
Several other people chime in with similar thoughts, and then the ad ends with a simple montage of “thank yous” from Florida residents.
It’s a remarkably effective ad, mostly because it feels so authentic. I lived in a COVID-crazy state, and can tell you firsthand how the measures taken here in California devastated children, destroyed businesses, and ruined lives. Still we’re not out of it–just this weekend I reported that the LA Parks Department was forcing children to wear masks to play sports at its facilities, despite an oppressive heat wave. If DeSantis were our governor, he would never let garbage like that happen.
Note what’s also impressive about this ad: it’s uplifting. Unlike the dark, angry rhetoric currently being spewed daily by our president, DeSantis brings an inspiring message full of hope. He doesn’t tear down a single opponent or call out other states for their failed policies. He simply emphasized what he did for Florida, and that’s enough.
He didn’t feel the need to pointlessly troll the governor of another state, as California Governor Gavin Newsom keeps doing to DeSantis. It’s clear that DeSantis’s success has gotten into Newsom’s head. My colleague Bonchie headlined his July piece, “Gavin Newsom’s Obsession With Ron DeSantis Is Getting Weird.” Making the matter even funnier, it was recently revealed that Newsom’s in-laws have moved from California to… wait for it… Florida. Not only that, they have reportedly donated to a DeSantis PAC.
In 2020, with my kids deep in the doldrums and with California feeling like a prison state, we got the heck out of dodge and went to Florida. It was like a different country. For the first time in months, we felt free, our faces uncovered to feel the breeze, able to walk in anywhere without masking up and showing a COVID card. It was paradise. Here’s the thing: despite his many foes and critics calling him DeathSantis at the time for his policies, Florida did no worse with COVID than the states that went all-in with crazy restrictions.
Not everyone thought Florida’s freedom was fabulous, however.
DeSantis has been a brave leader since he was sworn into office in 2019. While he has put out some effective combative commercials before, this one is equally or even more powerful. Should he decide to run for the presidency in 2024, it’s messages like this that could propel him to victory.