It’s been a rough recent run for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was once a skyrocketing star within the GOP behind many trend-setting conservative legislative victories.
In what seems like a continuing reveal of DeSantis’ waning star power, several school board candidates backed by the governor lost their races on Tuesday, something DeSantis was once prided for being influential with.
School Board Races
Of the 23 candidates that received the power of a DeSantis endorsement, almost half of them did not win their races, and six of them were forced into runoffs.
DeSantis previously distinguished himself by his ability to influence these races, which he used to empower local school boards in the state to help carry out a more conservative agenda.
Uphill Battle
In response to disappointing losses, DeSantis attempted to offer an excuse for the lower conversion rate and emphasized the races Republicans were successful with.
“You’re going into some of these areas that Republicans have never been competitive in, like the heart of Tampa,” DeSantis told reporters the following day at a news conference. “You need to field candidates and run them all the way across the board.”
Losing in Republican Areas
While DeSantis did indeed back candidates running in left-leaning counties, the candidates he backed also experienced losses in traditionally conservative counties like Indian River, Sarasota, and Flagler.
In the 2020 election, these were areas that Donald Trump easily won.
Influence Waning
In response the DeSantis’ comments on the races, some felt that this proved Florida residents were moving on from him.
‘“His influence is waning and Floridians are sending a very clear message that they’re done with his nonstop divisive rhetoric, his constant fear mongering & tired of him pitting Floridians against each other. Maybe he should try being a governor for ALL instead of SOME,” said X user Tray Hewitt.
Previous Success
Still, the governor’s justification for the race results doesn’t change the stark difference when comparing these results to previous years. In 2022, before DeSantis made his failed bid for the presidency, the governor enjoyed immense popularity and influence.
He won reelection that year by an outstanding near 20 points. Of the 30 school board candidates that the governor backed, only five lost their races.
More Than an Endorsement
An anonymous Republican operative spoke to NBC News about the landscape change, feeling it represents a declining power of endorsement DeSantis and other Republicans.
“I think it’s pretty clear that we are moving back toward a scenario where candidates once again matter,” said a longtime Florida Republican operative and DeSantis supporter, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “In 2018 a Trump endorsement was inflatable. In 2022, DeSantis could have handpicked anyone in Florida he wanted. In 2024, you need more than an endorsement to win.”
Consequences for Next Election
The operative speculated that the results of Tuesday’s primary vote would have ripple effects when the governor’s seat is up for grabs in 2026.
DeSantis will be unable to run because of term limits, but if his endorsement power was still strong, he could have had a significant influence over the candidate chosen.
Biggest Losers
As potential replacements for DeSantis line up for the race to replace him in 2026, they might find that just vying for a big GOP endorsement is not enough.
“The biggest losers in this scenario are the ones who convinced themselves in 2026 there was some magic Trump endorsement that was going to make them governor,” the operative said.
Why is DeSantis Declining?
When DeSantis announced his campaign for the presidency, his popularity in Florida and star power had many people excited about his potential. However, what came from his campaign disappointed many and hurt the governor’s reputation.
“It was a total failure to launch,” one former DeSantis adviser said in January. “This thing blew up on the launch pad. They had six months to get ready for very serious strategic questions, the most important of which was how to deal with Donald Trump. They had no answers. We are nine months in, and they still have not figured it out.”
Going Against Trump
One factor that DeSantis underestimated was the risk of going against Trump, who remains popular with Republicans despite everything.
An FT-Michigan Ross survey in January found that two-thirds of Republican voters trusted Donald Trump over all his primary competitors to help manage the US economy.
Future for DeSantis
While DeSantis’s star power appears to have waned at the moment, the future for the governor is still open.
He remains popular in a staunchly conservative state, and a figure in the GOP is still needed to succeed Trump after he is done running for office.
