Governor Ron DeSantis Awarded Sarasota GOP Statesman of the Year

Thursday, Florida Republican Party Vice Chairman Christian Ziegler announced that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) is the Sarasota GOP Statesman of the Year 2021.

DeSantis will be honored at the Statesman of the Year Dinner in Sarasota, Florida on October 15th. 

The award is prestigious among Republicans, especially in Florida politics. Previous winners of the award include President Donald Trump, Sean Hannity, Senator Ted Cruz (R), and Senator Rick Scott (R).

DeSantis unsurprisingly wins the award as he rises to the top of the Republican Party in a post-Trump presidential climate, second to Trump himself.

Democrats increasingly see DeSantis as a potential presidential candidate threat for 2024. His statewide poll numbers are bolstering, vaccination rates are on par with blue states, economic strength has remained robust coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and his mannerisms in the culture war resemble that of Trump with less brashness.

Barring a Trump 2024 run, DeSantis is the shoe-in for the 2024 GOP nomination, if he decides to seek it.

DeSantis recently called out President Joe Biden’s inaction on the border crisis. 

He made clear that if Biden pushes for renewed lockdowns nationwide, DeSantis will be “standing in [his] way.”