Ron DeSantis has a message for Republicans heading into the midterms: copy Florida. The governor rallied supporters in Osceola County, south of Orlando, ahead of the November election, arguing that his administration’s fights with Disney, Fauci, Soros, Martha’s Vineyard, and the Muslim Brotherhood should serve as a model for Capitol Hill.
“We beat Disney, Fauci, Soros,” DeSantis said, listing the institutions he claims Florida has defeated. “We beat them all.”
The speech was part campaign pep talk, part political boast, and entirely pitched to the base. His midterms strategy is simple: remind voters of the fights that defined his tenure, then tell them to vote like him.
DeSantis’s Model For The Nation
DeSantis framed his administration’s battles on education policy, state spending cuts, and corporate pushback as a template for the federal government. He urged voters to “kick out your representatives as ‘term limits’ until actual term limits arrive,” a dig at Washington’s permanent political class.
The governor’s argument is that Florida has faced powerful opponents and won. He listed the usual suspects:
- Disney, which he said nobody in state history had ever taken on in anything, and added, “we fought, and we won”
- Fauci, whom he said Florida beat on COVID
- Soros, whose prosecutors were removed over crime
- Martha’s Vineyard, which he cited as another target
- The Muslim Brotherhood, which he said Florida banned Sharia law against
He also pointed to the teachers unions, which he said Florida beat through universal school choice, and SEIU, which he said was hit by paycheck protection laws. DeSantis said Florida has reduced its budget for four straight years, with no other state doing so.
The core pitch is that the same spirit that drove Florida’s fights can drive the nation’s. DeSantis wants voters to see the midterms as a chance to export the “Florida model” to Washington.
The Wins He Cited
DeSantis’s list of wins is broad, but thin on specifics. He did not explain how Florida “beat” Disney or Fauci beyond asserting it. The Soros item rested on removing prosecutors, and the Muslim Brotherhood claim was a ban on Sharia law.
On education, he pointed to universal school choice as the victory over teachers unions. On SEIU, he cited paycheck protection. Both are policy positions, not fights with named opponents.
The budget claim is more concrete. Florida has cut spending for four straight years, DeSantis said, a distinction he said no other state has matched.
The numbers matter here. DeSantis said Florida will retire 54 percent of its state debt during his tenure, more than cutting it in half. That is a real figure, not a slogan.
Florida’s public university system ranks No. 1, and in-state tuition has stayed flat since he took office. Those are structural advantages, not victories over named enemies.
The Tax Relief Pitch
DeSantis also touted $10 billion in tax relief, including exemptions on baby items, back-to-school items, and business rent. He called for voters to support Amendment 3, which would eliminate non-school property taxes.
DeSantis’s comparison to his 2018 gubernatorial win was telling. He called both “blue years” with strong anti-Republican winds, a way of saying the political environment is hostile but the outcome can still be favorable.
The Midterm Strategy
The rally was a reminder of the fights that defined his tenure. DeSantis has spent his time in office taking on powerful interests, and he is now asking voters to extend that approach nationally.
The “term limits” line is a clever pivot. By telling voters to treat their representatives as if they were term-limited, DeSantis is asking them to vote out incumbents regardless of party.
Whether the model holds is another question. DeSantis’s record is real, but so are the questions around it. The midterms will answer whether voters buy the pitch.
The Speech In Context
The rally supported Navy veteran Dan Green’s run for Florida’s 9th Congressional District. DeSantis is not just campaigning for the midterms; he is building momentum for a presidential run.
The speech was a reminder of the fights that defined his tenure. DeSantis has spent his time in office taking on powerful interests, and he is now asking voters to extend that approach nationally.
The question is whether the model translates. Florida is one state.
The Numbers Behind The Pitch
| Policy Area | Claim |
|---|---|
| State budget | Cut for four straight years; no other state has done so |
| State debt | Retire 54 percent of debt during his tenure, more than cutting it in half |
| University system | Public universities rank No. 1 |
| In-state tuition | Flat since he took office |
| Tax relief | $10 billion in relief, including exemptions on baby items, back-to-school items, and business rent |
These are the facts DeSantis is working with. They are real, they are specific, and they are central to his argument.
The wins against named opponents are less grounded. DeSantis said Florida beat Disney, Fauci, Soros, Martha’s Vineyard, and the Muslim Brotherhood. He did not explain how.
The question remains open. DeSantis’s pitch is simple: copy Florida. The governor believes the model worked in Tallahassee, and he wants it to work in Washington.
Whether the model holds is another question. DeSantis’s record is real, but so are the questions around it. The midterms will answer whether voters buy the pitch.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the people who want real control over how their tax money gets spent, and is against any budget that spends money nobody voted on line by line. That means the paper supports Amendment 3, which would eliminate non-school property taxes, because it lets voters decide directly rather than leaving the decision to politicians. It also means the paper supports the broader idea that voters should have a real say over how their money gets spent, whether through a ballot measure or some other mechanism.
The paper’s position on taxes rests on the belief that the wealthy paying more should come with a direct line of accountability — that is, citizens should get a far more direct say in where that money goes than today’s system gives them. The paper is against money vanishing into a budget nobody voted on line by line, and for any plan that gives taxpayers real control over where it goes. DeSantis’s pitch to “kick out your representatives as ‘term limits’ until actual term limits arrive” fits with that idea — it asks voters to take action, even if it is an indirect form of control rather than a line-item budget.
What voters should watch for is whether the model actually works when applied elsewhere. DeSantis’s record is real, but so are the questions around it. The midterms will answer whether voters buy the pitch.
Source material: “‘We beat Disney, Fauci, Soros’: Ron DeSantis unleashes ‘Florida model’ in hard-hitting midterm rally,” Fox News.
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