Florida is the third largest state in the nation, yet it has never fielded a winning presidential candidate
Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Marco Rubio, R-Fla., talks to reporters after a closed-door briefing on the Chinese surveillance balloon that flew over the United States recently, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE — Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Marco Rubio, R-Fla., talks to reporters after a closed-door briefing on the Chinese surveillance balloon that flew over the United States recently, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE — Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Marco Rubio, R-Fla., talks to reporters after a closed-door briefing on the Chinese surveillance balloon that flew over the United States recently, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE — Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Marco Rubio, R-Fla., talks to reporters after a closed-door briefing on the Chinese surveillance balloon that flew over the United States recently, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Florida is the third largest state in the nation, yet it has never fielded a winning presidential candidate
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida governor wins reelection by record numbers and later finds himself running as a party conservative in a crowded presidential primary. In New Hampshire, he tip-toes around the explosive abortions rights issue, discusses ongoing Israeli military operations, promises he’ll secure the Mexican border and warns that the current administration’s fiscal insanity will cause more inflation, not reduce it.
While it sounds like Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023, this was former Florida Democratic Gov. Reubin Askew in 1984. Askew dropped out of the race after finishing eighth in New Hampshire. DeSantis is looking to avoid a similar fate as he prepares for the third GOP debate this week in his home state.
If DeSantis or former President Donald Trump eventually is elected president next year, it would be the first time Americans have chosen a Floridian to lead them. Trump was a New York snowbird with a second home in Palm Beach when he was first elected, but he later lost as a full-time Floridian.
So while Florida is home to Disney World’s Hall of Presidents, that’s not the place to look for representation from the nation’s third largest state. And even if home court advantage gives DeSantis an opening to talk about his accomplishments in the Sunshine State, there’s no historic evidence to suggest it will help him in the race itself.
“I really have no idea why this is the case,” said former Gov. Jeb Bush, who was considered the frontrunner for the 2016 Republican presidential primary before Donald Trump’s ascent reshaped the party.
Florida has long been influential in national politics — never more so than in 2000 when there were five weeks of recounts and court challenges before George W.
