Ron DeSantis got absolutely trashed by one of his state’s biggest newspapers

The editorial board of the Miami Herald, one of Florida’s biggest news outlets, blasted Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in an editorial that calls the anti-woke and anti-LGBTQ+ politician “no political genius” and says he suffers from a “lack of charisma.”

“DeSantis based his presidential campaign in great part on his approach to the pandemic and being a culture warrior,” the editorial begins, noting that he “became known for fighting drag queens, critical race theory, and Disney.”

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“He miscalculated his appeal,” the editorial continues, noting his poll numbers have “sagged” to a point where “they are worse than they were before he entered the GOP primary.” It also notes that DeSantis’ campaign has “burned through cash” — $8 million in just the first six weeks of his campaign — and recently laid off 38 of his campaign’s employees in a campaign reset. One of those employees helped make a pro-DeSantis video containing Nazi imagery.

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Since his reset, DeSantis has tried shifting his campaign’s attention to economic issues. But, “while some may welcome his sharpened attention to pocketbook concerns, we know better,” the editorial states. “Even if DeSantis magically transforms into Ronald Reagan, the damage he’s done has been enshrined into every facet of Florida law and policy.”

The editorial then laundry-lists DeSantis’ hard-right educational efforts, including his infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law. The article says that DeSantis has censored what teachers can say, including teaching racism in any way that “makes white parents feel their children are being blamed for racism.” He has also railed against educators for indoctrination “while doing his own brainwashing,” it continues, noting that Florida’s Department of Education just approved schools to use “educational” videos from the unaccredited right-wing media organization PragerU.

“Thanks to DeSantis, your kids may now be exposed to a cartoon video by PragerU Kids in which Christopher Columbus tells children that slavery was ‘no big deal’ in his time and that ‘being taken as a slave is better than being killed,'” the editorial states.

The article also notes that, under DeSantis’s laws, children can no longer receive gender-affirming care — even when it’s recommended by a doctor — nor can teens attend drag shows, even with a parent’s permission.

“DeSantis hits reset button on campaign trail,” the headline proclaims. “Unfortunately, it’s too late for Florida.”

The Miami Herald isn’t alone in its distaste for DeSantis. Florida’s voters don’t like him either. An early July poll showed that Florida voters prefer former President Donald Trump over DeSantis by 20 to 27 percentage points.

It’s also no surprise that Republicans privately loathe DeSantis. Numerous sources quoted in a September 2022 Vanity Fair article described DeSantis as combative and cold with “a mix of extreme arrogance and painful awkwardness.”