DeSantis, in governor run, says he’ll drain Tallahassee swamp

Jan. 05--Ron DeSantis, who's spent five years in Congress fighting Obamacare, investigating Democrats like Hillary Clinton and advocating for Israel, will turn his sights to Tallahassee.

He announced on "FOX and Friends" Friday morning he's running to be Florida's next governor.

"I'm in a position to exercise the leadership that can build on the great work that Gov. Rick Scott has done to advance economic opportunity, reform education and drain the swamp in Tallahassee, which needs to be drained just like Washington," DeSantis said on the program.

DeSantis, a Republican who represents the 6th District covering all of Volusia and Flagler plus parts of St. Johns and Lake counties, got an endorsement tweet from President Trump on Dec. 22.

"Congressman Ron DeSantis is a brilliant young leader, Yale and then Harvard Law, who would make a GREAT Governor of Florida. He loves our Country and is a true FIGHTER!" Trump wrote.

DeSantis, 39, of Palm Coast, has served as a Navy JAG officer as well as a federal and military prosecutor.

He was first elected to Congress in 2012 and has twice been subsequently re-elected. DeSantis ran for the U.S. Senate in 2016 for months before bowing out when Marco Rubio decided at the last minute to seek re-election. He didn't respond to a request for an interview Friday.

In the Aug. 28 Republican primary, he'll face Adam Putnam, the Commissioner of Agriculture and a former U.S. House member, and possibly others, including House Speaker Richard Corcoran. The field of Democrats includes former Congresswoman Gwen Graham, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and Orlando businessman Chris King.

According to the most recent fund-raising reports, Putnam had about $15 million entering December, as opposed to $2 million DeSantis had in a Congressional account. But that will change.

Then he announced the support of some of Trump's deepest-pocketed backers from outside Florida, such as Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and Rebekah Mercer, daugher of hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer.

Running as a "Trumpublican" could help DeSantis in a Florida GOP primary, whose voters remain enthusiastic for the president. Despite national disapproval ratings topping 50 percent, Trump got an 84-percent favorable rating in a recent Remington Research Group sample of 1,423 likely Florida Republican voters.

That same poll showed a majority of those voters with no opinion of DeSantis, Putnam and Corcoran.

Drilling down

DeSantis made his announcement to Fox News' morning trio Steve Doocey, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade, who spent 6 1/2 minutes asking him about his billionaire Trump-connected backers, the FBI investigation into the Clinton Foundation, Hillary Clinton's emails and a plan announced by the Trump administration to open up offshore areas for energy drilling.

The candidate said he, like Gov. Rick Scott (not to mention Sen. Bill Nelson, the Democrat whose seat Scott is eying), opposes drilling off the coast of Florida, as proposed by Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior. He sharpened his response in a statement sent later to The News-Journal.

"Our coastlines are an invaluable asset to Florida's economy and vital to the livelihood of so many of my constituents. It is important to continue to foster domestic energy development, but we must ensure that Florida's beaches and waters are protected," DeSantis said. "I stand with Gov. Rick Scott on this issue and believe that Florida should be excluded from the Zinke proposal."

On Friday, Putnam retweeted two photos -- one of his announcement in Tallahassee, which shows hundreds of people gathered, and one of DeSantis alone making his announcement Friday morning on "FOX and Friends" -- with the words, "A picture is worth 1,000 words."

A Putnam campaign spokeswoman, Amanda Bevis, wrote: "In true Washington insider fashion, Congressman Ron DeSantis announced his latest campaign from an empty TV studio to broadcasters in New York. DeSantis is a typical Washington politician who is focused on nothing more than his next promotion. Last election he wanted to be a Senator -- now he wants to be Governor. ... Floridians deserve better."

Brad Herold, a DeSantis campaign spokesman, said a "kick-off event" will be held later in January.

Other rivals' reactions

Graham, daugher of former Gov. and Sen. Bob Graham, is among candidates running against the Trump agenda in 2018 and, by proxy, DeSantis.

"Ron DeSantis running as Trump's hand-picked candidate with the backing of out-of-state billionaires may endear him to the most partisan primary voters, but he is too extreme for Florida," said Graham, a former congresswoman. "While DeSantis has dedicated his time in Congress to protecting Trump from Mueller and becoming a Fox News star, we look forward to a vigorous debate on the real issues that affect Florida families most. Ron DeSantis's support for privatizing public schools, his denial of climate change and his votes to cut Medicare are just out of touch with Florida."

Levine called DeSantis Trump's "chosen candidate" and tweeted: "The absolute LAST thing Florida needs is an alt-right extremist In the Governor's mansion."

-- Staff Writer Dinah Voyles Pulver contributed to this story.

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