Ron DeSantis IS running for another term in November….
His state does have a storm dropping in….
He’ll be on trial in the way he and his people take care of its citizens….
Hurricane Ian has already lashed western Cuba and is gaining strength in the Gulf. Storm surge warnings are in effect for large swathes of Florida’s western coast. More than 2 million people have been subject to evacuation orders.
For DeSantis, the immediate concern is blunting the short-term impact of the storm. Shelters have been set up, states of emergency declared in all the state’s counties and tolls lifted from many roads.
But if the humanitarian concerns are huge, so too are the political stakes.
DeSantis is facing reelection in six weeks. He is one of two leading contenders — along with former President Trump — for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He has been one of President Biden’s fiercest foes, an ardent courter of controversy and a hate figure for many Democrats.
Natural or environmental disasters can have a huge impact on a politician’s standing.
Former President George W. Bush never recovered from the botched response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Former President Obama suffered through an uncertain time in the immediate wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, though suffered little lasting damage…