Ron DeSantis

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Ron DeSantis
Image of Ron DeSantis
Governor of Florida
Tenure

2019 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

5

Predecessor
Prior offices
U.S. House Florida District 6
Successor: Michael Waltz
Predecessor: Cliff Stearns

Compensation

Base salary

$134,181

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Yale University

Law

Harvard Law School

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Navy Reserve

Service / branch

U.S. Navy

Personal
Religion
Christian: Catholic
Profession
Attorney
Contact

Ron DeSantis (Republican Party) is the Governor of Florida. He assumed office on January 8, 2019. His current term ends on January 5, 2027.

DeSantis (Republican Party) ran for election for President of the United States. He did not appear on the ballot for the Republican convention on July 15, 2024.

DeSantis received a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, where he was the captain of the university's baseball team, and a law degree from Harvard University. DeSantis served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps and as legal adviser to a U.S. Navy SEAL commander in Iraq. DeSantis became a member of the U.S. Navy Reserves after his active duty and continued to serve in the reserves after being elected to public office.[1]

DeSantis won election to Florida's 6th Congressional District in 2012 and served in the U.S. House from 2013-2018. DeSantis was a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.[2] DeSantis sponsored amendments to institute term limits for members of Congress, supported efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and proposed limiting funding for Robert Mueller's investigation into former President Donald Trump's (R) campaign's alleged involvement with Russia related to 2016 presidential election interference.[3] DeSantis resigned his U.S. House seat in September 2018 to run for governor.[4]

From his campaign for House in 2012 to his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, DeSantis described himself as a "conservative in the Reagan tradition."[5][6]

DeSantis won the 2018 Republican primary for governor of Florida, defeating then-Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam (R) and six other candidates. Donald Trump (R) endorsed DeSantis in the primary.[7] DeSantis won the 2018 general election and won re-election in 2022.

During his first term as governor, DeSantis signed legislation creating the Patient Savings Act, which he said would lower healthcare costs for families.[8] DeSantis also approved funding for restoration at the Everglades National Park and signed legislation in 2019 legalizing smokable medical marijuana.[4][9] His predecessor, Gov. Rick Scott (R) signed legislation in 2017 banning smokeable medical marijuana after voters approved a 2016 ballot measure legalizing medical marijuana.[10]

DeSantis gained national media attention as governor for his response to the coronavirus (COVID-19), ending restrictions to reduce COVID-19 transmission earlier than other governors. DeSantis said personal freedom and the economy were reasons he would not implement long-term restrictions.[11]

DeSantis ran for President of the United States in 2024.[12] In his campaign announcement, DeSantis said he would reduce government spending and inflation, increase security at the U.S.-Mexico border, increase funding for law enforcement, increase domestic energy production, and reduce the authority of the administrative state.[13] Desantis said he would reduce the government’s focus on "matters not central to the mission, whether it's global warming or gender ideology and pronouns."[14]

Throughout the election, DeSantis highlighted the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, funding for law enforcement, and school choice policy. DeSantis said, "In Florida, we proved it could be done. We chose facts over fear, education over indoctrination, law and order over rioting and disorder. We held the line when freedom hung in the balance."[15] DeSantis withdrew on January 21, 2024, having won the third most delegates behind Trump and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (R).[13]

Biography

Born in Jacksonville, Fla., DeSantis grew up in Orlando and Dunedin, Fla.[16] Following graduation from Dunedin High School, he attended Yale University where he was captain of the baseball team. DeSantis graduated magna cum laude from Yale in 2001. He worked as a history teacher for a year before attending Harvard Law School, where he received a Juris Doctor cum laude in 2005.[17]

DeSantis served in the U.S. Navy from 2004 to 2010. He was a judge advocate general (JAG) officer advising a Navy SEAL commander in Iraq and working with detainees at Guantanamo Bay.[18][19][20] His military honors include the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service and the Iraq Campaign Medal.[21]

DeSantis worked as a federal prosecutor before being elected in 2012 to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Florida's 6th Congressional District, a position he held until running for governor in 2018.[18][22] In 2015, DeSantis announced he would run for the Senate seat held by Marco Rubio (R). When Rubio announced he would seek re-election to the Senate, DeSantis ran for re-election in the House instead.[21]

DeSantis and his wife Casey, a former television host, have three children, Madison, Mason, and Mamie.[23]

Political career

Governor of Florida (2019-present)

DeSantis assumed office as the governor of Florida on January 8, 2019.

U.S. House of Representatives (2012-2018)

DeSantis represented Florida's 6th Congressional District from 2012 to 2018.

Elections

2024

DeSantis announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential primary on May 24, 2023.[12] DeSantis withdrew on January 21, 2024.[13] Click the links below to read more about the 2024 presidential election:

2022

See also: Florida gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Governor of Florida

Incumbent Ron DeSantis defeated Charlie Crist, Carmen Gimenez, and Hector Roos in the general election for Governor of Florida on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Ron_DeSantis__Official_Portrait__113th_Congress-7_fixed.jpg
Ron DeSantis (R)
 
59.4
 
4,614,210
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Charlie_Crist_115th_Congress_photo.jpg
Charlie Crist (D)
 
40.0
 
3,106,313
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/CarmenGimenez.jpeg
Carmen Gimenez (No Party Affiliation)
 
0.4
 
31,577
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Hector-Roos.PNG
Hector Roos (L)
 
0.2
 
19,299

Total votes: 7,771,399
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Florida

Charlie Crist defeated Nikki Fried, Cadance Daniel, and Robert Willis in the Democratic primary for Governor of Florida on August 23, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Charlie_Crist_115th_Congress_photo.jpg
Charlie Crist
 
59.7
 
904,524
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Nicole__22Nikki_22_Fried_fixed.png
Nikki Fried
 
35.3
 
535,480
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/i1QDnRXy_400x400.jpg
Cadance Daniel
 
2.5
 
38,198
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/217405435_106783161680074_5814716478385230870_n.png
Robert Willis
 
2.4
 
36,786

Total votes: 1,514,988
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Ron DeSantis advanced from the Republican primary for Governor of Florida.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Hector Roos advanced from the Libertarian primary for Governor of Florida.

Campaign finance

2018

See also: Florida gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018
See also: Florida gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 28 Republican primary)

General election

General election for Governor of Florida

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Florida on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Ron_DeSantis__Official_Portrait__113th_Congress-7_fixed.jpg
Ron DeSantis (R)
 
49.6
 
4,076,186
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Andrew_Gillum.jpg
Andrew Gillum (D)
 
49.2
 
4,043,723
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/darcy-cropped.png
Darcy Richardson (Reform Party)
 
0.6
 
47,140
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Kyle-Gibson.PNG
Kyle Gibson (No Party Affiliation)
 
0.3
 
24,310
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Ryan Foley (No Party Affiliation)
 
0.2
 
14,630
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/bruce_stanley_fl_gov_portrait.jpg
Bruce Stanley (No Party Affiliation) Candidate Connection
 
0.2
 
14,505
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
66

Total votes: 8,220,560
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Florida

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Ron_DeSantis__Official_Portrait__113th_Congress-7_fixed.jpg
Ron DeSantis
 
56.5
 
916,298
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Adam_Putnam.jpg
Adam Putnam
 
36.5
 
592,518
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Bob_White__Florida_-6_fixed.jpg
Bob White
 
2.0
 
32,710
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Timothy Devine
 
1.3
 
21,380
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Bob Langford
 
1.2
 
19,842
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/image1-3.jpeg
Bruce Nathan
 
0.9
 
14,556
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Don Baldauf
 
0.8
 
13,173
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/john-red-tie-500-3-250x356.png
John Joseph Mercadante
 
0.7
 
11,647

Total votes: 1,622,124
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2016

U.S. House, Florida District 6 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRon DeSantis Incumbent 58.6% 213,519
     Democratic William McCullough 41.4% 151,051
Total Votes 364,570
Source: Florida Division of Elections


U.S. House, Florida District 6 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRon DeSantis Incumbent 61% 41,311
Fred Costello 24.7% 16,690
G.G. Galloway 14.3% 9,683
Total Votes 67,684
Source: Florida Division of Elections

2014

See also: Florida's 6th Congressional District elections, 2014

DeSantis did not have a Republican primary challenger in 2014.

U.S. House, Florida District 6 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRon DeSantis Incumbent 62.5% 166,254
     Democratic David Cox 37.5% 99,563
Total Votes 265,817
Source: Florida Division of Elections

2012

See also: Florida's 6th Congressional District elections, 2012
U.S. House, Florida District 6 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRon DeSantis 57.2% 195,962
     Democratic Heather Beaven 42.8% 146,489
Total Votes 342,451
Source: Florida Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"
U.S. House, Florida District 6 Republican Primary, 2012
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRon Desantis 38.8% 24,132
Fred Costello 22.8% 14,189
Beverly Slough 13.2% 8,229
Craig Miller 13.1% 8,113
Richard Clark 9.8% 6,090
Alec Pueschal 1.2% 739
William Billy Kogut 1% 628
Total Votes 62,120

Campaign themes

2022

Ron DeSantis did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2018

The following came from DeSantis' 2018 campaign website. DeSantis’ campaign website stated the following:

Continue Florida’s Economic Momentum
Maintain Florida’s status as a low tax state by opposing tax increases and supporting a constitutional amendment requiring a supermajority vote in the Legislature to raise taxes
Reduce bureaucracy, eliminate unreasonable regulations and crack down on lawsuit abuse

Improve Education
Stop Common Core
Make American civics and study of the Constitution a priority
Promote skills-based education and vocational training
Enhance parental choice programs so that all Florida kids have access to a high-quality education

Stop Illegal Immigration
Enact E-verify to ensure a legal workforce and higher wages for Floridians
Do not allow sanctuary cities in Florida

Improve Water Quality and Safeguard Natural Resources
Protect our coasts by stopping toxic discharges from Lake Okeechobee and by storing and cleaning polluted water south of the Lake
Defend Florida’s coastline through beach restoration and flood mitigation
Restore the Everglades

End Judicial Activism
Appoint constitutional conservatives to the Florida Supreme Court

Defend our Rights
Defend the right to life by signing pro-life legislation into law
Stand up for law-abiding Floridians by defending their Second Amendment rights
Defend First Amendment speech rights against those in academia, media and politics who seek to silence conservatives
[62]

—Ron DeSantis' campaign website (2018)[63]

2016

The following issues were listed on DeSantis' 2016 campaign website.

  • Defend the Constitution: Abraham Lincoln observed that the United States is a nation that was “conceived in liberty.” The Founding Fathers dedicated the American Revolution to the self-evident truths that “all men are created equal” and “that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The purpose of government, they believed, was “to secure these rights.” The Constitution they framed was the means through which the inalienable rights of the people would be protected.
  • National Defense: Providing security against foreign danger is the preeminent responsibility of the federal government. Ron adheres to the philosophy expressed by the Founding Fathers as well as President Ronald Reagan that the best way to deter conflict is to maintain a robust defense capability. Indeed, President Reagan’s resoluteness in the face of the Soviet threat and his insistence on rebuilding America’s military might led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet empire.
  • Economic Growth and Job Creation: A stagnant economy has been a hallmark of the Obama years. Weak economic growth exacerbates the country’s fiscal problems and diminishes opportunity for Americans from all walks of life. At a time in which millions of Americans have dropped out of the workforce and large percentages of young adults are underemployed, policies aiming to facilitate economic growth are as essential as they are overdue.
  • Terrorism/ISIS: When he was running for reelection, President Obama boasted about having “killed” Osama Bin Laden and claimed that his policies “decimated” terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda. Today, it is clear that Islamic jihadists and terrorist groups have a wider footprint throughout the Middle East and North Africa than at any time since 9/11/2001.
  • Reform the “ruling class” culture of Washington: The Founding Fathers envisioned a system of government in which individual citizens were elected to serve the interests of the people. Elected officials are not superior to the people. In The Federalist No. 57, James Madison remarked that a staple of a free society is that the legislature “can make no law which will not have its full operation on themselves and their friends, as well as on the great mass of society.”[62]
—Ron DeSantis' campaign website, https://www.desantis2016.com/issues/

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Notable candidate endorsements by Ron DeSantis
EndorseeElectionStageOutcome
Donald Trump  source  (R) President of the United States (2024) PrimaryAdvanced in Convention
Erin Skipper  source  (Nonpartisan) Clay County District Schools school board District 1 (2022) PrimaryWon Primary
Stephanie Busin  source  (Unaffiliated) Hendry County School District school board District 4 (2022) PrimaryLost General
Jennifer Russell  source  (Unaffiliated) Martin County School District school board District 3 (2022) PrimaryWon General
Al Hernandez  source  (Nonpartisan) Pasco County Schools school board District 1 (2022) Primary, GeneralWon General
Robyn A. Marinelli  source  (Nonpartisan) Sarasota County Schools school board District 4 (2022) PrimaryWon Primary
Jacqueline Rosario  source  (Unaffiliated) School District of Indian River County school board District 2 (2022) PrimaryWon General
Sam Fisher  source  (Nonpartisan) School District of Lee County school board District 1 (2022) Primary, GeneralWon General
Armor Persons  source  (Nonpartisan) School District of Lee County school board District 5 (2022) PrimaryWon Primary
Cindy Spray  source  (Nonpartisan) School District of Manatee County school board District 2 (2022) Primary, GeneralWon General
Wesley Choate III  source  (Nonpartisan) School District of Manatee County school board District 4 (2022) PrimaryWon Primary
Richard Tatem  source  (Nonpartisan) School District of Manatee County school board District 5 (2022) PrimaryWon Primary
Adam Laxalt  source  (R) U.S. Senate Nevada (2022) PrimaryLost General
Jamie Haynes  source  (Nonpartisan) Volusia County Schools school board District 1 (2022) Primary, GeneralWon General
Notable ballot measure endorsements by Ron DeSantis
MeasurePositionOutcome
Florida Amendment 3, Marijuana Legalization Initiative (2024)  source OpposeOn the ballot
Florida Amendment 4, Right to Abortion Initiative (2024)  source OpposeOn the ballot

Noteworthy events

Reported as possible 2024 Republican vice presidential nominee

See also: Vice presidential candidates, 2024

Media reports discussed DeSantis as a possible 2024 Republican vice presidential candidate.[64] Former President Donald Trump (R) selected U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate on July 15, 2024, the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention.

In 2020, President Joe Biden (D) announced Vice President Kamala Harris (D) as his running mate six days before the start of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). In 2016, both Hillary Clinton (D) and Trump announced their running mates three days before the DNC and RNC, respectively.

Endorsement of Harmeet Dhillon for Republican National Committee chairwoman (2023)

See also Democratic and Republican Party committee leadership elections, 2023

On January 26, 2023, during an interview with Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA, DeSantis endorsed Harmeet Dhillon for chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. He said, "I think we need a change, I think we need to get some new blood in the RNC, I like what Harmeet Dhillon said about getting the RNC out of D.C. I do think we need some fresh thinking. And practically you need grassroots Republicans to power this organization with volunteering and donations, and I think it’s going to be very difficult to energize people to want to give money and volunteer their time with the RNC if they don’t change direction."[65]

Dhillon ran against incumbent Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Mike Lindell for the position. McDaniel won election to a fourth term with 111 votes, followed by Dhillon with 51, and Lindell with 4.[66]

Signing of House Bill 1557, the Parental Rights in Education Bill (2022)

In 2022, DeSantis drew national attention for signing into law a bill prohibiting public schools from teaching materials related to gender identity or sexual orientation in Kindergarten through 3rd grade. The bill, the Parental Rights in Education Act, was labeled by some critics as the Don’t Say Gay bill.[67][68]

DeSantis also signed a bill banning the teaching of critical race theory in public schools.[69] In 2021, he signed SB 1028 into law, which banned transgender girls and women who were designated as male on their birth certificate from competing in sporting competitions for girls and women in Florida middle schools, high schools, and colleges.[70][71] The law says, "Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls may not be open to students of the male sex. For purposes of this section, a statement of a student’s biological sex on the student’s official birth certificate is considered to have correctly stated the student’s biological sex at birth if the statement was filed at or near the time of the student’s birth."[72]

Signing of House Bill 5, the Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality Act (2022)

In 2022, DeSantis signed into law House Bill 5 outlawing abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for serious risk to maternal health or fetal abnormalities, if detected and diagnosed by two physicians in writing. The bill was challenged and temporarily stayed by Judge John Cooper, however, the law went into effect when the stay was challenged by the Florida Attorney General, Ashley B. Moody (R).[73][74]

Reinstating of Florida state guard (2022)

In 2022, DeSantis reinstated the volunteer Florida State Guard to supplement the Florida National Guard. When the guard was reinstated, the Florida National Guard had the lowest ratio of guard members to state citizens in the country. The State Guard had previously been used during WWII and was disbanded in 1947. The State Guard is designed for use in state emergencies and disaster recovery.[75]

COVID-19 response (2020-2021)

On March 9, 2020, DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the state of Florida regarding coronavirus. On March 17, he closed bars and nightclubs to slow the spread of the virus before closing restaurants to dine-in service on March 20. On April 1, he issued the first stay-at-home order for the state.[76] On April 18, he announced that schools would remain closed for in-person instruction for the rest of the academic year.[77] The stay-at-home order expired on May 4, and retail services and restaurants were allowed to reopen at 25% capacity for Phase One of the reopening efforts.[78] Two weeks later, on May 18, more establishments were allowed to open and capacities were increased to 50%.[79]

On June 5, 2020, DeSantis moved the state to Phase Two with the exception of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties due to higher infection rates than the rest of the state. Phase Two included allowing bars, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and other similar establishments to open at 50% capacity, while restaurants were allowed to increase capacity to 75%.[80][81] Theme parks were also told to submit reopening plans for approval, with Universal Studios cleared to reopen on June 5, and Disney World beginning its reopening on July 11.[82][83] Also in June 2020, DeSantis announced that public schools would open for in-person learning at full capacity in August.[84] The state entered Phase Three on September 25, lifting capacity restrictions and prohibiting municipalities from restricting capacity at restaurants to less than 50%.[85]

In April 2021, DeSantis issued an executive order prohibiting vaccine passports.[86] In May, he rescinded the state of emergency and all coronavirus-related public health orders and signed a bill prohibiting vaccine passports and mask mandates.[87] In September, his executive order prohibiting mask mandates in schools was reinstated by a federal judge following months of legal battles.[88] In November, DeSantis signed into law four bills restricting coronavirus vaccine requirements.[89]

Signing of SB 168, Federal Immigration Enforcement (2019)

On June 14, 2019, DeSantis signed SB 168 into law on June 14, 2019. The law requires local law-enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration officials. Jails must also comply with ICE hold requests for illegal immigrants that are subject to deportation.[90] The Hill reported there were no sanctuary cities in Florida at the time.[91]

In June 2022, DeSantis signed into law a bill expanding the 2019 sanctuary city bill and asked the Florida Supreme Court to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate trafficking and smuggling of undocumented children into the state and sanctuary cities.[92]

Signing of SB 182, Medical Use of Marijunua (2019)

On March 18, 2019, DeSantis signed into law SB 182, which ended a prohibition on smokable medical marijuana.

In 2016, 71 percent of Florida voters approved Amendment 2, which legalized medical marijuana for individuals with specific debilitating diseases or comparable debilitating conditions as determined by a licensed state physician. In 2017, the state legislature passed SB 8-A, which prohibited smoking as a delivery mechanism for medical marijuana.

Referring to Amendment 2, DeSantis said in a statement on signing SB 182, "I thank my colleagues in the Legislature for working with me to ensure the will of the voters is upheld."[93]

Congressional term limit constitutional amendments (2015, 2017)

In 2015 and 2017, DeSantis introduced constitutional amendments to the House to institute term limits on members of Congress. The amendments, which died in committee, would have limited senators to two six-year terms and representatives to three two-year terms.[94] DeSantis said the following of the 2017 amendment, which he introduced with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas):

"Term limits are the first step towards reforming Capitol Hill. Eliminating the political elite and infusing Washington with new blood will restore the citizen legislature that our Founding Fathers envisioned. The American people have called for increased accountability and we must deliver."[95]

Votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act (2013, 2015, 2017)

DeSantis voted in 2013, 2015, and 2017 in support of efforts to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare or the ACA. He voted for the American Health Care Act, a 2017 Republican replacement plan that passed the U.S. House 217-213 but did not pass the Senate.

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Ron DeSantis campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* President of the United StatesWithdrew convention$375,129 $375,129
2022Governor of FloridaWon general$210,869,792 $265,451,222
2016U.S. House, Florida District 6Won $4,678,388 N/A**
2014U.S. House (Florida, District 6)Won $1,110,622 N/A**
Grand total$217,033,931 $265,826,351
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only availabale data.

Ballot measure activity

Ballotpedia is not aware of any personal political advocacy by this officeholder related to ballot measures we track. If you are aware of any, please email us.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Flordia Department of State, "Ronald Dion DeSantis," accessed May 15, 2024
  2. Tampa Bay Times, "5 things to know about Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee for Florida governor," August 29, 2018
  3. Politico, "Republican floats measure to kill Mueller probe after 6 months," August 28, 2017
  4. 4.0 4.1 Business Insider, "Meet Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor who has been heavily criticized for his coronavirus pandemic response," July 2, 2020
  5. Ron DeSantis' 2012 campaign website, "Home," archived November 7, 2012
  6. Naples News, "DeSantis' short political career set stage for campaign to become Florida governor,"November 1, 2018
  7. Politico, "Trump endorses DeSantis for governor via Twitter," December 22, 2017
  8. Flordia.gov, "Governor Ron DeSantis Signs the Patient Savings Act," June 13, 2009
  9. Flordia.gov, "Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Agreement for Acquisition of 20,000 Acres of Critical Everglades Wetlands," January 15, 2020
  10. Orlando Sentinel, "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs smokable medical marijuana bill into law," March 18, 2019
  11. The Guardian, "Florida’s governor celebrated his anti-mandate Covid laws. Now Omicron is here," December 4, 2021
  12. 12.0 12.1 Federal Election Commission, "Statement of Organization," accessed May 24, 2023
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Twitter, "DeSantis on January 21, 2024," accessed January 21, 2024
  14. Twitter, "David Sacks on May 24, 2023," accessed May 30, 2023
  15. Twitter, "Our Great American Comeback," May 24, 2023
  16. Money Inc., "10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ron DeSantis," April 14, 2020
  17. Darlington School, "Darlington welcomes new faces," June 28, 2001
  18. 18.0 18.1 Ron DeSantis' 2018 campaign website, "Meet Ron DeSantis," accessed June 20, 2019
  19. Miami Herald, "Florida governor candidate Ron DeSantis carved aggressive path from Dunedin to D.C.," updated January 8, 2019
  20. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "DeSantis, Ron," accessed June 20, 2019
  21. 21.0 21.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bi
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Political offices
Preceded by
Rick Scott (R)
Governor of Florida
2019-Present
Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
Cliff Stearns (R)
U.S. House Florida District 6
2013-2018
Succeeded by
Michael Waltz (R)