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Ron DeSantis

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Ron DeSantis
Official portrait, c. 2023
46th Governor of Florida
Assumed office
January 8, 2019
LieutenantJeanette Nuñez
Preceded byRick Scott
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 6th district
In office
January 3, 2013 – September 10, 2018
Preceded byCliff Stearns (redistricting)
Succeeded byMichael Waltz
Personal details
Born
Ronald Dion DeSantis

(1978-09-14) September 14, 1978 (age 46)
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
(m. 2009)
Children3
ResidenceGovernor's Mansion
Education
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionLawyer
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service2004–2010 (active)
2010–2019 (reserve)[1]
RankLieutenant commander
UnitJudge Advocate General's Corps
United States Navy Reserve
Battles/warsIraq War
AwardsBronze Star
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal

Ronald Dion DeSantis (born September 14, 1978) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 46th governor of Florida since 2019.[2] As a member of the Republican Party, DeSantis served as a congressman from Florida's 6th congressional district from 2013 to 2018.[3][4][5] He was a candidate for president of the United States in the 2024 election.

Early life and education

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Ronald Dion DeSantis was born on September 14, 1978, in Jacksonville, Florida to Karen Rogers DeSantis and Ronald D. DeSantis Sr.

During his childhood, DeSantis lived in Orlando for a short time before moving to Dunedin, Florida. At six years old, he had a sister named Christina DeSantis who was born in 1985.

He was a member of the Little League team for 1991 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

He attended schools and universities such as, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, Dunedin High School, Yale University, and Harvard Law School. DeSantis also was Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

Military Service (2004–2010)

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DeSantis volunteered and joined the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the Judge Advocates Generals Corps for the Naval Station Mayport and also worked for the Joint Task Force-Guantanamo, Guantanamo Bay Joint Detention Facility, and Naval Special Warfare Command as a military lieutenant.[6]

He was deployed to the Iraq War along with other colleague troops in 2007 and later returned to the United States in 2008. DeSantis served as a naval and military officer from 2004 until his honorable discharge in February 2010.[7]

During his military career, DeSantis was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal.

United States Representative (2013–2018)

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DeSantis previously served as a congressman for Florida's 6th congressional district and he was the chairman of ten different committee agenda assignments for the 114th United States Congress.

DeSantis served as a congressman for the state's congressional district for five years from 2013 until he resigned in September 2018.[8]

Governor of Florida

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In January 2018, He officially announced his candidacy for governor to succeed term-limited governor Rick Scott and had chosen Florida congresswoman Jeanette Nuñez[9]as his running mate for lieutenant governor. In August 2018, DeSantis won the republican primary in the general election.

In November 2018, DeSantis defeated Tallahassee mayor and democratic candidate Andrew Gillum in the gubernatorial race.[10] He was officially sworn in as the 46th governor of Florida on January 8, 2019.[11][12][13] [14][15]

As governor, DeSantis did not support taking many of the measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, such as face-mask mandates, stay-at-home orders, and vaccination requirements. In May 2021, DeSantis signed into law a bill that banned businesses, schools, cruise ships, and government entities from requiring proof of vaccination. He passed the controversial Parental Rights in Education Act, with opponents labeling it as the Don't Say Gay Bill, which banned schools from talking about sexual orientation and gender identity, specifically with elementary aged children. As a result, the The Walt Disney Company had criticized DeSantis and the two have been in a political, legal and business feud.[16][17]

In November 2021, DeSantis launched his reelection campaign to a second term as governor.[18][19][20]

On November 8, 2022, he defeated former Florida governor and Democratic candidate Charlie Crist to a second term as governor with Jeanette Nuñez as his running mate in the 2022 election.[21][22][23][24][25][26]

2024 presidential campaign

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Before he announced his candidacy many people speculated that Ron DeSantis would run for President of the United States in the 2024 election, although he initially denied any intention of doing so.[27]

After the 2022 midterm elections, when DeSantis was reelected governor by almost 20 percentage points, some thought it might increase his chances of running for president because the candidates that DeSantis supported won their elections whereas the ones supported by Trump lost.[28][29] In addition in April 2023 polls showed DeSantis performing better than former President Donald Trump in battleground states.[30][31]

On May 18, 2023 it was then reported that DeSantis would announce his presidential campaign the following week.[32] He officially announced his candidacy on May 24.[33]

After coming in a distant second place finish in the Iowa caucuses, DeSantis ended his campaign on January 21, 2024 and endorsed former President Donald Trump.[34]

Personal life

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DeSantis had met Casey Black at Naval Station Mayport when he was a naval officer and they got married in September 2009, at Disney World. They have three children together, two daughters named Madison and Mamie DeSantis, and a son named Mason DeSantis.[35]

DeSantis had a younger sister named Christina Marie DeSantis, but she died in May 2015 at the age of 30 in London, United Kingdom.[36][37]

References

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  1. Christensen, Dan, ed. (January 2023). "BIOGRAPHICAL DATA". Florida Bulldog. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023. Separation Date: Feb. 14, 2019.
  2. "Ron DeSantis sworn in as Florida's 46th governor | PHOTOS". www.tallahassee.com. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  3. "Ron DeSantis". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  4. "Ron DeSantis". National Governors Association. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  5. "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis". Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  6. "Ronald Dion DeSantis - Florida Department of State". dos.myflorida.com. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  7. "Ronald Dion DeSantis - Florida Department of State". dos.myflorida.com. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  8. "Ron DeSantis". National Governors Association. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  9. "Florida gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 28 Republican primary)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  10. "Florida gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 28 Republican primary)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  11. "Ron DeSantis". National Governors Association. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  12. "Join Our Fight!". Ron DeSantis for Governor. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  13. "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis". Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  14. Kennedy, John. "Ron DeSantis sworn in as Florida's 46th governor". The Ledger. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  15. "Ron DeSantis sworn in as Florida's 46th governor | PHOTOS". www.tallahassee.com. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  16. Barnes, Brooks (April 21, 2022). "Disney C.E.O. Says Company Is 'Opposed' to Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill". New York Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022.
  17. "Florida Gov. DeSantis says Disney lawsuit is political". AP NEWS. 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  18. "Join Our Fight!". Ron DeSantis for Governor. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  19. "Florida gubernatorial election, 2022 (August 23 Republican primary)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  20. Contorno, Steve (2021-11-08). "Florida Gov. DeSantis officially launches 2022 reelection bid | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  21. "Florida Governor Election Results". The New York Times. 2022-11-08. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  22. "DeSantis wins 2nd term as Florida governor". Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. 2022-11-09. Archived from the original on 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  23. "DeSantis, Rubio solidify GOP control in Florida with Tuesday wins". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  24. Allen, Greg (2022-11-08). "Republican Ron DeSantis wins reelection as Florida's Governor". NPR. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  25. Contorno, Steve (2022-11-09). "Ron DeSantis will win reelection as Florida governor, CNN projects | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  26. "Ron DeSantis wins governor's race in Florida". PBS NewsHour. 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  27. "'It's nonsense': Gov. DeSantis brushes off idea he would run for president in 2024". WFLA 8. September 7, 2021. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  28. "Ron DeSantis landslide victory brings Trump and 2024 into focus". The Guardian. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  29. "Trump left 'fuming' after at least 14 of his candidates projected to lose in midterms: Sources". ABC News. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  30. Klas, Mary Ellen. “DeSantis meets with Japan’s top leaders in first stop of international trade mission”, Bradenton Herald (April 24, 2023).
  31. Kamisar, Ben. "Polls show Trump with big lead over DeSantis. But against Biden, it's a different story", NBC News (April 21, 2023).
  32. Oliphant, James (2023-05-18). "Florida Governor DeSantis to enter US presidential race next week". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  33. "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launches 2024 presidential campaign to challenge Trump". AP NEWS. 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  34. Hernández, Alec; Dixon, Matt; Burns, Dasha; Allen, Jonathan (2024-01-21). "Ron DeSantis suspends his presidential bid and endorses Trump". www.nbcnews.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  35. "Join Our Fight!". Ron DeSantis for Governor. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  36. "Ron DeSantis' sister dies". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  37. "Christina Marie DeSANTIS Obituary (2015) Tampa Bay Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2022-10-20.

Official websites

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