TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — With the storm surge subsiding and Floridians getting their power back, Gov. Ron DeSantis is gearing up for a return to the campaign trail after putting a pause on things to respond to Hurricane Idalia.
“We are eager to get back to the early states, I think Iowans are seeing a true leader,” said DeSantis Campaign Manager James Uthmeier during an interview with Fox News last week.
DeSantis’ team is already boasting the governor’s hurricane handling with photos and videos on social media, one a mashup of people lauding the emergency response.
“The governor is doing a good job on emergency management, and he has since coming into office,” U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Parkland, is quoted as saying.
With the second Republican presidential debate looming scheduled for later this month, Idalia gave the governor a unique national spotlight while leading a state through crisis.
“That will allow him to have a little bit more of a positive message of, ‘I can get things done,” 10 Tampa Bay Political Analyst Dr. Lars Hafner said.
Though more than a handful of Republican hopefuls jockey for position and aim to cut into former President Donald Trump’s commanding lead, the ongoing aftermath of the hurricane could still provide fodder for criticism against Florida’s governor.
Like the storm’s impact on the already soaring costs of property insurance in the state.
“There's a lot of questions being raised about property insurance in Florida, and what that's going to do to the people who got hit hard, as well as the idea that [DeSantis] didn't show up when the president came to town,” says Hafner, referring to the governor’s decision to not meet with Biden in-person during his visit to Florida last weekend.
DeSantis says he didn’t want to hinder disaster response efforts, but former governor and current Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, joined Biden on his visit.
“This is where it could hurt him on the backside of the hurricane, even though his response during the hurricane will be lauded by many,” Hafner added.
While he heads back to the trail and those vital early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, experts say to expect fewer official appearances from the governor here at home as he aims to gain ground elsewhere.
“He has to be out there on the campaign trail, and he has to get to the next debate to help try and turn his numbers around,” Hafner explained.
The latest polling average of the Republican field has the governor sitting in second at 15%, a distant second to Trump who’s at 53%. Trump is scheduled to make an appearance at the University of Iowa vs. Iowa State football game this weekend.