Tag Archives: Ron DeSantis

South FL Tourism Officials Report Canceled Conventions

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: Broward County has lost more than a half-dozen conventions as their organizers cite the divisive political climate as their reason to stay out of Florida. The list was compiled by Visit Lauderdale, formerly known as the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. Broward’s tourism arm said the lost conventions could have brought hotel stays …

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Creator Deletes Anti-LGBTQ DeSantis Campaign Video

Florida Politics reports: A video spotlighted by the DeSantis War Room Twitter account that painted Donald Trump as accommodating on LGBTQ+ issues has been quietly deleted. However, the Tweet highlighting the video is still up as of this writing Saturday morning. The deletion, first noticed by Axios reporter Alex Thompson, caps off days of blowback against Ron DeSantis which included …

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Florida Atlantic University Halts Search For President Over Questionnaire Asking If Applicants Are “Queer”

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: Just days before the three finalists for Florida Atlantic University’s next president were set to speak at public forums, the search has been stopped in its tracks. State University System of Florida Chancellor Ray Rodrigues sent a letter to Brad Levine, chairman of both the FAU Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee, citing …

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DeSantis: I’ll Be At Fox’s Debate Even If Trump Isn’t

Fox News reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he’ll participate in the first Republican presidential nomination debate “regardless” of whether former President Donald Trump takes the stage at the August showdown. “I’ll be there regardless. I hope everybody who’s eligible comes. I think it’s an important part of the process and I look forward to being able to be on …

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WSJ: DeSantis Is Exacerbating Florida’s Labor Shortage

From the Wall Street Journal editorial board: An estimated 772,000 undocumented immigrants lived in Florida in 2019, many of whom have been there for years and contribute significantly to the state economy. Construction, agriculture and hospitality depend heavily on undocumented workforces, not least because of a shortage of U.S. workers for such lower-wage and -skilled jobs. Employers in these industries …

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Fox Panel Roasts DeSantis: He Needs An Intervention

Mediaite reports: Guests on Thursday’s edition of Kudlow were unimpressed with the presidential campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is polling well behind frontrunner Donald Trump in the GOP primary. Host Larry Kudlow asked radio talkshow host Mark Simone if DeSantis will drop out soon. “I mean, Vivek Ramaswamy is now at 10%,” Kudlow said, referencing the longshot candidate. …

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Log Cabin GOP Head Rips DeSantis For Anti-LGBTQ Ad

“The opening lines of that ad that his campaign retweeted have President Trump addressing the nation after the Pulse nightclub shooting. I don’t know how addressing a national tragedy just miles from DeSantis’ then-congressional district is ‘injecting gender ideology.’ “Look, it’s very clear, and we’re seeing it from across the conservative spectrum. Everyone agrees that this ad was misdirected, it …

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DeSantis Blames Media And Mexico For Lousy Polls

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to explain away disappointing polling numbers, blaming the “corporate media” and Mexico’s President Andrés López Obrador this time. During a Thursday night interview on Fox News Tonight, host Will Cain confronted the 2024 presidential candidate with polling that has seen DeSantis “between 10 and 20%,” “numbers that have stayed there for two months.” …

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“Mamas For DeSantis” Attack LGBTQs In First Video

Florida Politics reports: Florida’s First Lady is kicking off the presidential campaign’s iteration of “Mamas for DeSantis” with a new video highlighting the Governor’s stances against drag queens, masks and Anthony Fauci. The video, which runs slightly more than two minutes, juxtaposes stern narration against a visual backdrop of a parade of horribles for DeSantis and his supporters. “When you …

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Florida GOP Will Require Trump And DeSantis To Sign Loyalty Pledge In Order To Appear On Primary Ballot

Politico reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump are finding that the price to make the 2024 Florida primary ballot is going up. All GOP candidates will have to pledge their loyalty to the eventual Republican nominee to make the March 19 primary, a contest that could tip the balance of the crowded race since Florida’s contest is …

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Florida Sees Wave Of Canceled Major Conventions

The Florida Phoenix reports: Noting the “escalating waves of hostile actions and legislation coming out of Florida,” the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) is ditching its scheduled annual conference at the Hyatt Regency Miami later this year and instead will hold it in Chicago. In a letter sent to ACSP educators, researchers, and students posted on the organization’s …

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DeSantis Defends Anti-LGBTQ Ad: “Totally Fair Game”

NBC News reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defended a controversial video Wednesday that went after former President Donald Trump over LGBTQ rights and was shared by his campaign. They were his first public comments on the video. “Identifying Donald Trump as really being a pioneer in injecting gender ideology into the mainstream, where he was having men compete against women …

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Astroturf Group “Gays Against Groomers” Falls Apart Amid Accusations Its Co-Founder Is On DeSantis Payroll

First, a reminder from Media Matters back in February: Before the group’s founder Jaimee Michell rode the recent surge in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric to guest spots on Fox News and right-wing podcasts, she and her fellow GAG chair David Leatherwood were pro-Trump operatives employed by right-wing communications firms representing other conservative figures who have attempted to capitalize off of the anti-LGBTQ …

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UK Producers: DeSantis Stole Our Footage For His Ad

Variety reports: After Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign shared a bizarre and wildly homophobic video that includes footage of Cillian Murphy’s character in “Peaky Blinders,” the team behind the British crime drama has denounced the video, adding that the footage of the show was “obtained without permission or official license.” The video, shared by DeSantis’ campaign on Twitter, slams rival 2024 …

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Huckabee On DeSantis Ad: He Needs Course Correction

“It probably wasn’t the best idea for an ad, in part because you win elections when you add people to your voting rolls, you don’t win elections when you keep subtracting them. “But the fact is there are many people in that community who are conservative and vote Republican. You want those voters and just in the same way that …

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DeSantis PAC: Anti-LGBTQ Ad Is “Perfectly Legitimate”

NewsNation reports: The presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing criticism from a prominent group representing LGBTQ conservatives, which says a political advertisement attacking Donald Trump’s past positions on LGBTQ rights “ventured into homophobic territory.” Ken Cuccinelli, founder of the pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down, says the ad was focusing on the “legitimate” difference between DeSantis’ and …

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Right Wing Gays Turn On DeSantis After Anti-LGBTQ Ad

The Hill reports: Some LGBTQ Republicans, responding to Friday’s video, said in interviews with The Hill that they would no longer support DeSantis as the GOP nominee in 2024. “It’s like he’s going mask off,” said Brad Polumbo, a Michigan-based libertarian journalist. “The cat’s out of the bag.” “This was the final nail in the coffin,” said former New Hampshire …

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NBC News: DeSantis Is Most Secretive Florida Governor

NBC News reports: In the four years since DeSantis took office, his administration has routinely stonewalled the release of public records, approved a slew of new legal exceptions aimed at keeping more information out of the public eye, and waged legal battles against open government advocates, the press and other watchdogs. DeSantis, a Harvard-educated lawyer and former U.S. attorney, is …

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Federal Judge Blocks Florida Voter Registration Law

CNN reports: A federal judge on Monday blocked a Florida election law that would have set limits on voter registration in the state. Chief US District Judge for the Northern District of Florida Mark E. Walker said while it’s correct for the state to “seek integrity” in its electoral system, “Florida’s solutions for preserving election integrity are too far removed …

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DeSantis Spox Sounds Alarm: “We Are Way Behind”

Politico reports: A top spokesperson for Ron DeSantis’ super PAC is sounding a decidedly dour note on the Florida governor’s presidential prospects, saying his campaign is facing an “uphill battle” and is trailing badly in the key nominating states. “Right now in national polling we are way behind, I’ll be the first to admit that,” Steve Cortes said in a …

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