Florida paper dreads three more years under a “wounded” & “grudge-bearing” Ron DeSantis

The Miami Herald Editorial Board has published a haunting op-ed about what the next three years in Florida could be like under Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) now that he has dropped out of the Republican presidential race.

After what many consider an embarrassingly poor campaign performance, DeSantis still has three years left to govern Florida – and he has already made it clear that his insecurities will manifest in his intense desire for revenge and power.

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The Editorial Board was particularly disturbed by a muscle-flexing post from DeSantis on X in which he responded to Politico headline stating that some Republicans in Florida want taxpayers to cover Donald Trump’s legal bills – referring to a bill that would have allocated taxpayer money to do just that.

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“But not the Florida Republican who wields the veto pen…” DeSantis wrote.

The editorial board pointed out that killing the “ludicrous bill” was the right decision, but that DeSantis did it for the wrong reasons: “revenge politics.”

“His response on social media seemed designed to snap back Florida legislators who might be disinclined to listen to a governor who once had an iron grip on lawmakers but is now a lame duck — though he has three more years to serve,” the board wrote, also pointing out that his threat worked. The sponsor of the bill withdrew it after the post on X – “a signal that legislators know they have to work with DeSantis for a long while still,” the board surmised.

DeSantis’s power play also came against Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who publicly supported the bill and also publicly supported Trump over DeSantis in the presidential race.

“It’s no secret that DeSantis can bear a grudge,” the Board noted. “His penchant for paybacks and vindictiveness is well known in Florida, with Disney as an example.”

The editorial concluded by lamenting that Florida is now stuck with “a wounded, grudge-bearing governor who is out to prove he still can exert power” and remains the home state of “an insurrectionist ex-president intent on revenge for losing the seat four years ago.”

“In other words, it leaves Floridians right in the cross-hairs, for three interminable years,” the board wrote.

DeSantis ended his bid for president after coming in second place at the Iowa Caucuses. He did endorse Trump despite the pair’s longstanding rivalry.

“DeSantis ran a campaign that was a disaster from start to finish,” wrote LGBTQ Nation commentator John Gallagher. “His announcement on Twitter was a glitch-filled flop. Staffing changes and stories of infighting dogged the campaign. DeSantis’ strategy of capitalizing on a strong showing in Iowa began to erode almost from day one.”

But Gallagher also pointed out that “the biggest problem [with DeSantis’s campaign] was the candidate himself.”