The Fall of DeSanctus

Dutch Uncle

* Tertia Optio * Defend the Constitution
Between the pain headed for Florida this summer because of Trump and the fall of Ron DeSantis due to scandal, will Florida turn blue at the Midterms?

Inside DeSantis' "made-for-TV" fall in Florida​


Not that long ago, Ron DeSantis looked like the future of MAGA, the iron-fisted ruler of Florida politics who was set up for a White House run.

  • Now the Republican governor faces potential political obscurity, unable to control legislators in his own party who are calling for a federal investigation of his wife's charity.
Why it matters: Nothing exemplifies DeSantis' striking loss of mojo in Tallahassee like the scandal surrounding Hope Florida, the state-backed charity of First Lady Casey DeSantis, who's been eyeing a bid to succeed her husband as governor.

  • The charity received $10 million in secret settlement money from a Medicaid provider just days before the charity sent that same amount to two political groups favored by the DeSantises.
  • House Republicans and independent observers allege that the arrangement amounted to an illegal siphoning of Medicaid funds.
  • The governor has denied wrongdoing and accused fellow Republicans of a "bogus" political smear.
The big picture: The high-level Republican drama, dysfunction, name-calling and accusations in Tallahassee are likely to reverberate in next year's state elections.

  • Polling suggests the scandal has hurt Casey DeSantis, who's been weighing a 2026 campaign to follow her term-limited husband as governor. Hope Florida was supposed to be central to her political platform.
  • Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, up for reelection next year, also has been accused of wrongdoing by other Republicans. He was Ron DeSantis' chief of staff last year and ran an anti-marijuana political group that may have benefited from the alleged Medicaid switcheroo.
  • Uthmeier also denies wrongdoing and has accused a critic of being a stooge for the marijuana industry....

....The intrigue: The Hope Florida scandal's damage to Casey DeSantis was evident in a voter survey shared with Axios by a business group that examined the state of play in Florida politics:

  • In January — before her charity was targeted by the House investigation — Casey DeSantis led U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds by 4 percentage points in a hypothetical matchup for governor. A recent survey had her trailing Donalds by 5 points — a 9-point swing.
  • When voters were told that Donalds had been endorsed by President Trump, Donalds' lead jumped to 28 points in the survey.
Zoom out: Casey DeSantis still may run for governor, but people familiar with her thinking say the Hope Florida controversy has been a wake-up call.

  • "She doesn't have the stomach or the temperament for this," said one Republican who has discussed a campaign with her.
  • Another disagreed: "She has time. She's popular. The DeSantis brand is strong."
  • "He's the most followed and accomplished governor in the country," DeSantis spokesman Bryan Griffin said, criticizing media coverage of "bogus intrigue."
  • Ron DeSantis fumed about "bogus narratives" when he was heckled about Hope Florida at a recent news conference on the snapper fishing season.
 
Solution
Floridian Republicans are talking about prison. LOL

'In the real world, if someone defrauded the state or a charity out of $10 million, they’d go to prison.'
April was nothing short of a disaster for Casey DeSantis.

Sure, her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis, has been spinning the scandal into a narrative painting the state’s First Lady as the victim of a witch hunt fueled by detractors who don’t like the family. And they can keep spinning all they want. But as long as Casey DeSantis floats the idea of running for Governor, Hope Florida will be an anchor around her...
Floridian Republicans are talking about prison. LOL

'In the real world, if someone defrauded the state or a charity out of $10 million, they’d go to prison.'
April was nothing short of a disaster for Casey DeSantis.

Sure, her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis, has been spinning the scandal into a narrative painting the state’s First Lady as the victim of a witch hunt fueled by detractors who don’t like the family. And they can keep spinning all they want. But as long as Casey DeSantis floats the idea of running for Governor, Hope Florida will be an anchor around her potential candidacy.

At issue is a $10 million donation from Centene, Florida’s largest Medicaid contractor, stemming from a 2023 settlement with the state for $67 million as a result of overbilling. Centene wired the $10 million to the Hope Florida Foundation. That money was then sent out by the Foundation and split between Save Our Society from Drugs and Secure Florida’s Future.

Those groups then provided millions into the campaign to oppose a statewide amendment seeking to legalize recreational marijuana, which the Governor fiercely advocated against. Adding to the scandal, the Governor’s then-Chief of Staff James Uthmeier chaired the anti-pot political committee, Keep Florida Clean, that advocated against Amendment 3.

Republican Rep. Alex Andrade led a House panel looking into the Hope Florida scandal. That probe ended last month, but outlined a series of damning revelations about the flow of money from Centene’s settlement to the Hope Florida Foundation and then through dark money channels that supported Uthmeier’s anti-pot committee.

While the House may have finished its inquiry for now, many questions remain unanswered. Andrade has promised to resume his oversight of Hope Florida when legislative committee hearings begin in the Fall. And he’s not holding back on his sweeping rebuke.

“In the real world, if someone defrauded the state or a charity out of $10 million, they’d go to prison,” he told Florida Politics. “Certain bad actors within the DeSantis administration lied about the use of these funds and conspired to funnel this money to a PC. Those people deserve to go to prison.”
 
Solution
Between the pain headed for Florida this summer because of Trump and the fall of Ron DeSantis due to scandal, will Florida turn blue at the Midterms?

Inside DeSantis' "made-for-TV" fall in Florida​


Not that long ago, Ron DeSantis looked like the future of MAGA, the iron-fisted ruler of Florida politics who was set up for a White House run.

  • Now the Republican governor faces potential political obscurity, unable to control legislators in his own party who are calling for a federal investigation of his wife's charity.
Why it matters: Nothing exemplifies DeSantis' striking loss of mojo in Tallahassee like the scandal surrounding Hope Florida, the state-backed charity of First Lady Casey DeSantis, who's been eyeing a bid to succeed her husband as governor.

  • The charity received $10 million in secret settlement money from a Medicaid provider just days before the charity sent that same amount to two political groups favored by the DeSantises.
  • House Republicans and independent observers allege that the arrangement amounted to an illegal siphoning of Medicaid funds.
  • The governor has denied wrongdoing and accused fellow Republicans of a "bogus" political smear.
The big picture: The high-level Republican drama, dysfunction, name-calling and accusations in Tallahassee are likely to reverberate in next year's state elections.

  • Polling suggests the scandal has hurt Casey DeSantis, who's been weighing a 2026 campaign to follow her term-limited husband as governor. Hope Florida was supposed to be central to her political platform.
  • Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, up for reelection next year, also has been accused of wrongdoing by other Republicans. He was Ron DeSantis' chief of staff last year and ran an anti-marijuana political group that may have benefited from the alleged Medicaid switcheroo.
  • Uthmeier also denies wrongdoing and has accused a critic of being a stooge for the marijuana industry....

....The intrigue: The Hope Florida scandal's damage to Casey DeSantis was evident in a voter survey shared with Axios by a business group that examined the state of play in Florida politics:

  • In January — before her charity was targeted by the House investigation — Casey DeSantis led U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds by 4 percentage points in a hypothetical matchup for governor. A recent survey had her trailing Donalds by 5 points — a 9-point swing.
  • When voters were told that Donalds had been endorsed by President Trump, Donalds' lead jumped to 28 points in the survey.
Zoom out: Casey DeSantis still may run for governor, but people familiar with her thinking say the Hope Florida controversy has been a wake-up call.

  • "She doesn't have the stomach or the temperament for this," said one Republican who has discussed a campaign with her.
  • Another disagreed: "She has time. She's popular. The DeSantis brand is strong."
  • "He's the most followed and accomplished governor in the country," DeSantis spokesman Bryan Griffin said, criticizing media coverage of "bogus intrigue."
  • Ron DeSantis fumed about "bogus narratives" when he was heckled about Hope Florida at a recent news conference on the snapper fishing season.
You seem concerned about what’s happening in Florida. Is there a reason?
 
DeSantis family will back out of visible State politics and this will be dropped imo.

It is just to keep pressure on them so no DeSantis continued rule can happen.
 
Between the pain headed for Florida this summer because of Trump and the fall of Ron DeSantis due to scandal, will Florida turn blue at the Midterms?

Inside DeSantis' "made-for-TV" fall in Florida​


Not that long ago, Ron DeSantis looked like the future of MAGA, the iron-fisted ruler of Florida politics who was set up for a White House run.

  • Now the Republican governor faces potential political obscurity, unable to control legislators in his own party who are calling for a federal investigation of his wife's charity.
Why it matters: Nothing exemplifies DeSantis' striking loss of mojo in Tallahassee like the scandal surrounding Hope Florida, the state-backed charity of First Lady Casey DeSantis, who's been eyeing a bid to succeed her husband as governor.

  • The charity received $10 million in secret settlement money from a Medicaid provider just days before the charity sent that same amount to two political groups favored by the DeSantises.
  • House Republicans and independent observers allege that the arrangement amounted to an illegal siphoning of Medicaid funds.
  • The governor has denied wrongdoing and accused fellow Republicans of a "bogus" political smear.
The big picture: The high-level Republican drama, dysfunction, name-calling and accusations in Tallahassee are likely to reverberate in next year's state elections.

  • Polling suggests the scandal has hurt Casey DeSantis, who's been weighing a 2026 campaign to follow her term-limited husband as governor. Hope Florida was supposed to be central to her political platform.
  • Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, up for reelection next year, also has been accused of wrongdoing by other Republicans. He was Ron DeSantis' chief of staff last year and ran an anti-marijuana political group that may have benefited from the alleged Medicaid switcheroo.
  • Uthmeier also denies wrongdoing and has accused a critic of being a stooge for the marijuana industry....

....The intrigue: The Hope Florida scandal's damage to Casey DeSantis was evident in a voter survey shared with Axios by a business group that examined the state of play in Florida politics:

  • In January — before her charity was targeted by the House investigation — Casey DeSantis led U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds by 4 percentage points in a hypothetical matchup for governor. A recent survey had her trailing Donalds by 5 points — a 9-point swing.
  • When voters were told that Donalds had been endorsed by President Trump, Donalds' lead jumped to 28 points in the survey.
Zoom out: Casey DeSantis still may run for governor, but people familiar with her thinking say the Hope Florida controversy has been a wake-up call.

  • "She doesn't have the stomach or the temperament for this," said one Republican who has discussed a campaign with her.
  • Another disagreed: "She has time. She's popular. The DeSantis brand is strong."
  • "He's the most followed and accomplished governor in the country," DeSantis spokesman Bryan Griffin said, criticizing media coverage of "bogus intrigue."
  • Ron DeSantis fumed about "bogus narratives" when he was heckled about Hope Florida at a recent news conference on the snapper fishing season.
I think it's safe to say, DeSantis will never be president or his wife governor of Florida?!!
 
Between the pain headed for Florida this summer because of Trump and the fall of Ron DeSantis due to scandal, will Florida turn blue at the Midterms?

Inside DeSantis' "made-for-TV" fall in Florida​


Not that long ago, Ron DeSantis looked like the future of MAGA, the iron-fisted ruler of Florida politics who was set up for a White House run.

  • Now the Republican governor faces potential political obscurity, unable to control legislators in his own party who are calling for a federal investigation of his wife's charity.
Why it matters: Nothing exemplifies DeSantis' striking loss of mojo in Tallahassee like the scandal surrounding Hope Florida, the state-backed charity of First Lady Casey DeSantis, who's been eyeing a bid to succeed her husband as governor.

  • The charity received $10 million in secret settlement money from a Medicaid provider just days before the charity sent that same amount to two political groups favored by the DeSantises.
  • House Republicans and independent observers allege that the arrangement amounted to an illegal siphoning of Medicaid funds.
  • The governor has denied wrongdoing and accused fellow Republicans of a "bogus" political smear.
The big picture: The high-level Republican drama, dysfunction, name-calling and accusations in Tallahassee are likely to reverberate in next year's state elections.

  • Polling suggests the scandal has hurt Casey DeSantis, who's been weighing a 2026 campaign to follow her term-limited husband as governor. Hope Florida was supposed to be central to her political platform.
  • Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, up for reelection next year, also has been accused of wrongdoing by other Republicans. He was Ron DeSantis' chief of staff last year and ran an anti-marijuana political group that may have benefited from the alleged Medicaid switcheroo.
  • Uthmeier also denies wrongdoing and has accused a critic of being a stooge for the marijuana industry....

....The intrigue: The Hope Florida scandal's damage to Casey DeSantis was evident in a voter survey shared with Axios by a business group that examined the state of play in Florida politics:

  • In January — before her charity was targeted by the House investigation — Casey DeSantis led U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds by 4 percentage points in a hypothetical matchup for governor. A recent survey had her trailing Donalds by 5 points — a 9-point swing.
  • When voters were told that Donalds had been endorsed by President Trump, Donalds' lead jumped to 28 points in the survey.
Zoom out: Casey DeSantis still may run for governor, but people familiar with her thinking say the Hope Florida controversy has been a wake-up call.

  • "She doesn't have the stomach or the temperament for this," said one Republican who has discussed a campaign with her.
  • Another disagreed: "She has time. She's popular. The DeSantis brand is strong."
  • "He's the most followed and accomplished governor in the country," DeSantis spokesman Bryan Griffin said, criticizing media coverage of "bogus intrigue."
  • Ron DeSantis fumed about "bogus narratives" when he was heckled about Hope Florida at a recent news conference on the snapper fishing season.
DeSantis is a sleaze bag that got exposed.
 
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