DeSantis’s Get-Parents-Fired-Up Strategy Holds Clues to a 2024 Run
- The governor’s focus on school boards helped motivate voters
- Parents drove DeSantis Florida victory, could be US blueprint
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To win reelection, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis harnessed the power of one of the most coveted groups of voters anywhere — motivated parents. The strategy could build a key pillar of support if, as widely expected, he runs for president in 2024.
The Republican governor was able to tap into a cohort of riled-up parents by exerting his influence in local school board races. With endorsements and campaign cash for dozens of candidates who share his ideology, DeSantis found a way to both stoke fury among moms and dads and then harness it for his own political gain. School-board races boosted Republican turnout by at least 5 percentage points across Florida in 2022, driving a landslide reelection win, according to the governor.