Americans Still Choosing DeSantis as Their Governor
Are pollsters underestimating the Floridian?
James Freeman
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James Freeman
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Dec. 19, 2023 3:55 pm ET
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Media outlets keep trying to write the political obituary of the second-most-popular Republican presidential candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. It’s true that he’s far behind Donald Trump in the polls, but it’s also striking how often Americans keep choosing Mr. DeSantis as their governor. Political pundits may continue to pick nits about Mr. DeSantis’s charisma or stage presence. But for Americans looking to start a business or raise a family, Mr. DeSantis seems to have a powerful allure.
It’s not just his notable electoral success in turning a swing state Republican. Since his 2022 re-election as governor, Mr. DeSantis has continued to win the most consequential votes of confidence from people all over the country. The Journal’s Paul Overberg and Alyssa Lukpat report:
The U.S. population grew 0.5% this year, according to Census Bureau estimates released Tuesday, as the pandemic’s effects on births, deaths and immigration continued to fade...
Migration among states slowed but extended perennial gains in the South. The Northeast, Midwest and West all saw net losses while the South gained 706,000 net movers. California lost a net of 338,000 people to other states, about as many as the previous year. New York (minus 217,000), Illinois (minus 84,000), New Jersey (minus 45,000) and Massachusetts (minus 39,000) saw losses continue but shrink from the previous year.
Top gainers were Florida, which added a net 194,000 movers, and Texas (187,000). North Carolina (97,000), South Carolina (83,000), Tennessee (63,000) and Georgia (58,000) also saw strong but slower gains.
Yes, many Californians continue to flee rather than live under their allegedly charming governor. As the members of California’s flight club search for a new place to call home, Mr. DeSantis may appear to be all business as he goes about the task of maintaining liberty. And they dig it.
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Many longtime Floridians as well as recent arrivals appreciated their governor’s opposition to the Covid panic. It’s a shame more jurisdictions around the world didn’t have leaders willing to stand against historic expansions of government power. The libertarians at the Cato Institute and Canada’s Fraser Institute are out with their annual Human Freedom Index and they report recent trends that are not positive:
Human freedom deteriorated severely in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Most areas of freedom fell, including significant declines in the rule of law; freedom of movement, expression, and association and assembly; and freedom to trade. After having fallen significantly in 2020, human freedom remained low during the second year of the pandemic. On a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 represents more freedom, the average human freedom rating for 165 jurisdictions fell slightly, from 6.79 in 2020 to 6.75 in 2021.
