Ron DeSantis is the new Republican Party leader

Republicans are ready to move on without Donald Trump

The biggest winner of the midterm elections was without a doubt Governor Ron DeSantis, whose landslide victory in the state of Florida was breathtaking.

The biggest loser? Donald Trump, whose handpicked loyalist candidates in a number of races struggled to beat vulnerable Democrats. Once again, the former president may have cost Republicans control of the Senate, in a year when it was theirs to lose.

Many will conclude, on the basis of the midterm 2022 results, that the Republican Party is ready to move on, without Donald Trump as its leader.

DeSantis scored a win in Florida that was one for the record books. In Miami-Dade County, a region which President Joe Biden won by 16 percentage points in 2020, the popular governor won easily. Not only was the margin of victory astounding in itself, it also reinforced an emerging reality: Hispanic voters may be shifting their long-term alliance to Republicans.

DeSantis won because he embraced Trumpian policies, stood firm against the woke mob, led his state through the pandemic with brilliance and, more recently, managed the horrific damage done by Hurricane Ian with great competence. Florida residents rewarded the popular governor by re-electing him with roughly a 19-point margin over his opponent, Democrat Charlie Crist.

On the heels of his win, DeSantis delivered a barnburner victory speech, laying down markers for what will surely be a run for president in 2024 and declaring, “I have only begun to fight.”

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