Sooner or later, every popular politician reaches a pivot point when the big stage beckons. It’s a delicate tightrope walk to make a great entrance and shine in the spotlight, though, and that’s definitely the case for Florida governor Ron DeSantis at the moment.
He’s currently considering a presidential run, which would have been unthinkable just a few short years ago. Given his mercurial political rise, it’s worth tracing DeSantis’s unique journey and see if it contains any clues about his current political ambitions.
Early Days
DeSantis grew up in Jacksonville, and his intelligence and ambition were revealed early on. He went to Yale and studied history, then shifted over to Harvard and got a law degree.
The military factored into his early path, too. DeSantis completed his training at the Naval Justice School as part of his academic work, and he was also deployed to Iraq as an advisor to SEAL Team One.
He also worked with detainees at Guantanamo Bay, which might surprise many given DeSantis’s hard-core conservatism these days.
A career in politics was always an obvious possibility, and sure enough, DeSantis was elected to the US House of Representatives from District 6, and he served three terms before being elected Florida governor in 2018.
Politics, Controversy and Net Worth
DeSantis’s first year as governor was relatively quiet, but he did demonstrate an immediate talent for fund-raising, and he’s believed to have raised over $100 million toward a 2024 run.
As of 2022, Ron DeSantis has a net worth of $318,987 according to the Florida government. His annual salary as a governor is $134,181. Some political observers might be surprised he’s not wealthier. Even the likes of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have a much higher net worth.
DeSantis has many rich friends in high places, and while can’t list the money in his political action committee (PAC) as part of his current net worth, there’s little doubt that he’s a very wealthy man, even if it doesn’t show up in the balance sheet just yet.
He’s also a controversial one, too. DeSantis thrust himself into the national spotlight by downplaying both mask and vaccine mandates, which delighted his conservative fans and infuriated liberals, of course. He’s idolized by his fans and hated by his enemies.”
Most of what he’s done has been predictable, but DeSantis is very much at a crossroads in his political career right now.
He was originally thought to be a Trump puppet who might replace former VP Mike Pence on the 2024 ticket, but it’s looking increasingly likely that DeSantis intends to go head-to-head with Donald Trump in 2024 for the Republican presidential nomination, assuming Trump decides to run, of course.
It’s a move fraught with risk, and DeSantis seems well aware of that. Despite his conservatism, the Florida governor hasn’t outlawed abortion outright in his state, and he’s made some cagey conservative moves to restrict voting rights.
All of which is a good setup for a presidential run, but the billion-dollar question is whether DeSantis will really take Trump on, and how that will play out on the national stage if it happens.
The range of possibilities is enormous, but one thing that remains certain is that DeSantis will be in the spotlight, which he very much seems to enjoy.
Personal Life
Unlike Trump, DeSantis has kept his personal life on the quiet side. He married Casey Black, a former host for the Golf Channel and a local TV station, in 2010, and the couple has three children.
His one brush with danger and controversy in his personal life occurred when he played baseball with other members of Congress when Louisiana lawmaker Steve Scalise was shot and wounded.
DeSantis and a fellow representative reportedly met the alleged shooter before the game and were asked if Democrats or Republicans were playing in the game, which featured a mix of players from both parties.
