Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced yesterday he is officially running for reelection, and Roger Stone is threatening to run for governor if DeSantis does not complete his second term. Stone told CBS4 Miami that he would likely run as a Libertarian or a third party candidate.
“Look, I have no illusions about my ability to become elected governor of Florida. That’s not the point here. I believe that Gov. DeSantis, assuming he’s going to run for reelection, should pledge to the people of Florida that he will fill out all four years of a second term,” said Stone. “What I don’t want to see is for him to be reelected and then immediately abandon Florida to run off and run for president, particularly if he’s running against Donald Trump.”
The rumors of DeSantis eventually running for president in 2024 have been circulating for months, particularly as the Republican Party was searching for a strategy after the election of President Joe Biden.
However, DeSantis has continued to shut down 2024 rumors, as maintains that he is committed to Florida and has “only just begun to fight.”
“When I became governor, I pledged to foster economic opportunity, support K-12 education, usher in a new era for Florida’s Everglades and water resources, ensure the integrity of our elections and stand for public safety and the rule of law,” DeSantis said to Fox News.
DeSantis continued by saying he “delivered on all fronts.”
“I also protected individual Floridians and small businesses by keeping Florida open and stood up for students and parents by ensuring schools provided in-person instruction and by championing the rights of parents,” DeSantis said. “We’ve also taken on Big Tech censorship, banned sanctuary cities, ensured that municipalities cannot defund law enforcement and stood up to the Biden regime.”
Stone criticized DeSantis’ approach to campaigning and said DeSantis does not personally take time to meet with supporters. Stone believes he could be effective in garnering support from some DeSantis voters.
“Well, the people who love Ron DeSantis the most are, of course, the people who have never met him,” Stone said. “It would be nice to say thank you to some of his donors or if he’d actually meet with the voters. He seems to be allergic to people. But perhaps that’s just a different campaign style. I don’t think that I would have to get many votes to change the results of this race.”
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at the Florida Capital Star and the Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
