Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis delivered a fiery victory speech after securing a dominant re-election win soon after polls closed on Election Day.
The Republican pointed to his conservative policies and performance in office as the cause of his “overwhelming” support on Tuesday.
“We saw freedom and our very way of life in so many other jurisdictions in this country wither on the vine. Florida held the line,” DeSantis said during an election night event at the Tampa Convention Center.
He touched on the hallmarks of his governing style in the speech, promising a relentless fight against “woke” indoctrination and pledging to make Florida a “citadel of freedom” in the United States.
The governor made it clear that he would continue to deliver on policies and values that have made him a national figure with conservatives and a target of partisan criticism from the left.
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DeSantis recounted his administration’s accomplishments in the speech Tuesday.
“We have embraced freedom. We have maintained law and order. We have protected the rights of parents. We have respected our taxpayers. And we reject woke ideology,” he said to loud applause.
“We will never, ever surrender to the woke mob,” the governor promised to a crowd of cheering supporters.
“Florida is where woke goes to die!”
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The Republican heavyweight’s margin of victory outstripped even the most optimistic projections.
DeSantis secured nearly 60 percent of the statewide vote with more than a million-vote lead over his Democratic opponent, Rep. Charlie Crist.
“We not only won re-election, we have rewritten the political map,” he said of his victory.
The governor has been described as an agent of political change in Florida, turning what was once a competitive battleground into a solidly red state with a national profile in the conservative movement.
DeSantis is regarded as a strong 2024 Republican presidential candidate, which is why his supporters at the event chanted, “Two more years!”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.