SPARTANBURG, S.C. — In Ron DeSantis’ first public 2024 test in front of South Carolina Republican voters, the Florida governor on Wednesday spent most of his remarks touting his own state and its response, or blueprint, to combat what he called “toxic ideologies.”
“From the free state of Florida,” DeSantis urged an Upstate crowd to to “wage war on woke,” while showcasing his “Florida Blueprint” as the model best suited to fight against a leftist “ideological agenda.”
“We have eliminated toxic ideologies like critical race theory in our K-12 schools,” DeSantis told a crowd at the First Baptist North Spartanburg. “We’re not teaching kids to hate our country or to hate each other with your tax dollars. Not on my watch.”
He also railed against the COVID-19 pandemic as a “Faucian dystopia,” saying Florida led the way in embracing freedom.
“When COVID arrived on the scene, when the world went mad, when common sense suddenly became an uncommon virtue, it was Florida that stood as a refuge of sanity in a citadel of freedom,” DeSantis said.
A crowd of about 1,000 people lined up early to hear DeSantis speak in Spartanburg, the last of a three-stop South Carolina visit ahead of a much anticipated 2024 presidential bid. Those who could not get inside the room where DeSantis spoke piled into an overflow room. Earlier Wednesday, DeSantis and his wife, Casey, held a similar yet smaller rally in North Charleston and then held a closed press Republican event in Summerville.
DeSantis, introduced by state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Spartanburg, on Wednesday spoke on a range of issues from “wokeism” to inflation, education and immigration.
Casually dressed in blue jeans and a sport jacket, DeSantis spoke for about 30 minutes before sitting down with his wife for a more intimate discussion with voters.
It was the first time voters heard directly from the Florida Republican amid speculation he’ll soon launch a 2024 bid.
Several voters in Spartanburg said they will support a DeSantis bid because they believe he has a better chance of winning over former President Donald Trump, who won Spartanburg County in the 2016 GOP presidential primary and remains popular among S.C. Republican voters.
Matt Robinson, 43, of Easley, said he voted for Trump twice, but said Trump is out of touch with the Republican Party.
“I just feel like we need someone younger in office that can relate more toward some of the modern things that are going on,” Robinson said. “What (DeSantis) has done in Florida is amazing, and I hope what he’s done there can carry forward into him possibly being the next president.”
Support for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who launched her 2024 bid in February, and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, who has launched a 2024 exploratory committee, appeared limited Wednesday, but some said they’d be happy to see a DeSantis-Haley ticket.
“I think that’d be about the best thing we’ve ever seen in our lifetime,” said David Leopard, 64, of Inman.
Joanie Canteburry, 61, disagreed, saying Haley’s race would take votes from DeSantis.
“We need someone younger, brighter. We need a new revival, and I believe (DeSantis) is the guy to do it,” Canteburry said.
Though DeSantis has yet to signal when he’ll jump into the 2024 primary, the DeSantis political action committee has sought to cover the airwaves. This week, the PAC spent nearly $575,000 helping to promote a possible run with ads in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville and Myrtle Beach.
Still, support for Trump remains strong in South Carolina, particularly in the historically red Upstate.
A recent Winthrop University Poll showed Trump with 41% of S.C. GOP support, followed by DeSantis at 20% and Haley at 18%. Another recent poll from consulting firm National Public Affairs also showed Trump significantly ahead of DeSantis with 43%, followed by DeSantis at 21% and Haley and Scott with 19% and 7%, respectively.
DeSantis said Wednesday that elected leaders should not focus on polls.
“A leader is not captive to polls,” DeSantis said. “A leader sets out a vision, executes on that vision and delivers results. So don’t be captive to the polls, lead the polls.”
