Six months before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially announced his presidential campaign, former President Trump launched his war of words against the rising conservative, enraging Republicans for launching his offensive just three days before the crucial midterm elections.
Trump’s attacks failed to make a dent in Florida’s support for DeSantis, and while Republicans went on to underperform on the national level, losing the U.S. Senate and only retaking the House by a few seats, DeSantis cruised to an historic 19-point win in Florida, a onetime battleground state.