American politician Ron DeSantis, born on September 14, 1978, has been Florida’s 46th governor since January 2019. DeSantis, a Republican, previously served as the 6th district representative for Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives. DeSantis was raised primarily in Dunedin, Florida, despite being a Jacksonville native. He received his degrees from Yale University and Harvard Law School. DeSantis joined the US Navy in 2004, was given a lieutenant rank, and then assisted SEAL Team One with legal advisor before being sent to Iraq in 2007.
DeSantis served as a Special Assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida after his return to the country a year later. He held this position until his honorable discharge in 2010. DeSantis defeated his Democratic opponent Heather Beaven to win his first election to Congress in 2012. He joined the Freedom Caucus at its inception and supported President Donald Trump during his time in office. Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has drawn frequent criticism from DeSantis. In 2016, he made a brief run for the U.S. Senate but withdrew when Marco Rubio, the incumbent, announced his candidacy.
DeSantis made a point of supporting Trump during his 2018 gubernatorial campaign. He selected state representative Jeanette Nuez as his running mate after capturing the Republican nomination in August. A machine recount was required due to the close results in the general election between DeSantis and the Democratic nominee, Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum. By a margin of 0.4%, DeSantis was declared the victor.
DeSantis resisted putting restrictions like mandatory face mask use, stay-at-home directives, and immunization requirements in place during the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida. He enacted a law preventing establishments like shops, universities, cruise ships, and the government from demanding proof of vaccination in May 2021. By defeating Democratic nominee Charlie Crist by a margin of 19.4% in 2022, he was reelected.
