Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) abandoned his state to go on the road while his state continues to suffer from a high number of COVID cases and deaths, Politico reported Sunday.
In Nebraska, DeSantis sat with other Republican leaders like Vice President Mike Pence over steaks for the fifth steak-fry event with about 1200 GOP voters. The event is just across the river from the first-in-the-nation Iowa election.
"My message from Florida is this: When Joe Biden violates the Constitution, when Joe Biden attacks the jobs of Floridians and Americans, when Joe Biden targets the livelihood of Florida families and American families, I am fighting back against him," DeSantis said as the audience cheered.
Back home, DeSantis is trying to run for his own reelection despite having over 48,700 deaths in Florida from the virus. DeSantis won the state by under 32,500 votes in 2018.
"His visit to the Midwest is one of at least a dozen out-of-state trips he's taken since May," said the report. "He has gone everywhere from Southern California to Kentucky to the outskirts of Milwaukee and to New Jersey. Since most are campaign visits, they are not included on his public schedule and the governor rarely informs the public of his out-of-state travel. He also visited the Texas-Mexico border in July with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, where they ripped President Joe Biden's immigration policies."
While DeSantis won an early straw poll at a conservative conference, Mike Pence is currently leading the race, with DeSantis losing 7 points in the last month. DeSantis would also certainly lose his luster if he lost the Florida governor's race. Right now he is facing a 14-point net loss in his approval rating. Meanwhile, 59 percent of Florida voters don't want him to run for president in 2024
