Gov. DeSantis will continue to give Floridians a better quality of life | Opinion

If last week’s gubernatorial debate showed Floridians anything, it’s that leadership matters. Thanks to Republicans like Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio, the Sunshine State has not only stayed afloat but even thrived these past two years. But as both Republicans made clear on the debate stage, Florida could look like any other Democrat-run disaster if gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist and Senate candidate Val Demings get their way in November.

It’s up to voters to ensure that doesn’t happen.

At a time when Floridians’ top concern is inflation, Demings supported Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion spending. She even backed Biden’s student debt bailout of wealthy Ivy League graduates by hiking taxes on the middle class.

And despite Florida metro areas being hit especially hard by inflation, Crist voted to hike middle-class taxes, expand the IRS, and worsen inflation — a record DeSantis called out during the debate.

Meanwhile, Florida Republicans have led the pandemic recovery. The state unemployment rate has hovered below the national rate for 22 consecutive months. Florida’s private-sector job growth rate doubled the U.S. economy’s in August. In fact, Florida ended the recent fiscal year with a record $22 billion surplus.

That’s because DeSantis avoided the draconian pandemic restrictions, closures and fines imposed by Democrats all over the country He shielded Floridians from vaccine mandates that would have forced them to choose between liberty and their livelihoods. And in Washington, D.C., Rubio spearheaded the Paycheck Protection Program at the beginning of the pandemic, saving hundreds of thousands of Florida small businesses and millions of Florida jobs. As a result, the Sunshine State’s population is booming.

Demings and Crist have been wrong on education, too. Demings called reopening schools a “recipe for disaster,” while Crist called for new mask mandates and lockdowns — despite everything we know about the harm these policies have had on children. Thanks to DeSantis, Florida schools stayed open. While other states struggle with a learning crisis and missing pupils, Florida students achieved grades that surpassed expectations from Spring 2021 to Spring 2022. DeSantis also signed legislation to expand school-choice options to ensure families can choose the education that best fits their needs. He’s defended parental rights in education. And he’s holding “woke” school boards accountable, purging classrooms of anti-American propaganda, and exposing inappropriate content in school curriculum. He’s already promised to protect women’s sports in his next term.

When it comes to public safety, Demings and Crist’s positions are equally concerning. Demings helped fuel Biden’s historic border crisis by voting to give amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, fund sanctuary cities and end Title 42, which gives Border Patrol the ability to rapidly turn away illegal immigrants. Similarly, Crist voted against condemning the defund-the-police movement and voted to make it harder for local law enforcement to protect their communities. Meanwhile, five major law enforcement groups are supporting Rubio over Demings, and DeSantis is recruiting retired officers to teach in state schools and doubling down on drug traffickers. Our men and women in blue know who has their backs, and it’s not Democrats.

Voters know, too. While Democrats alienate their base, Republicans are leaning in. The Republican National Committee has opened five Florida community centers to reach Black, Hispanic and Jewish voters. We’ve made a multimillion-dollar investment in taking our message to communities left behind by Democrats. And we’ve recruited more than 20 Hispanic Floridians to run for Congress. Because of our data-driven ground game, Republicans now outnumber registered Florida Democrats by over 290,000. Fifty-five percent of Hispanics say they don’t support the country’s direction under Biden. And lifelong Hispanic Democrats in Florida are switching parties because they don’t recognize the Democrat Party anymore.

Florida voters gave Republican leadership a chance, and the GOP delivered. DeSantis and Rubio’s greatest assets are their records. Now it’s up to Floridians to show up for Republicans on Election Day.

Ronna McDaniel is chair of the Republican National Committee.