Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, is running in the upcoming primary elections to retain office for another term. The Republican is unchallenged in the primary, but will face a Democratic opponent in the midterm elections.
Ron DeSantis has also signalled that he will launch his own bid for the White House in the next presidential elections. The upcoming midterms may serve as a warmup for the veteran Republican.
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Who is Ron DeSantis?
Ron DeSantis, 43, is a native of Florida. He attended Dunedin High School and later went on to Yale University. He also graduated from Harvard Law School with honours.
Ron DeSantis is married to Casey DeSantis, who has previously won an Emmy Award. The couple has two daughters and one son.
After completing his education, DeSantis was commissoned in the US Navy as a JAG officer and was deployed to Iraq as an adviser to a US Navy SEAL commander. He was given a Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service and the Iraq Campaign Medal.
Before joining the American political system, DeSantis had a brief stint as a federal prosecutor. According to his campaign website, “he targeted and convicted child predators” as a prosecutor.
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Ron DeSantis was first elected to US Congress in 2012 and represented to the 6th district of Florida. He was part of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Committee on the Judiciary, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and others. Ron DeSantis was also named the chair of the Subcommittee on National Security by the 114th US Congress.
He was elected to Florida’s top office in 2018, two years after a failed US Senate bid. He has since become popular amongst the Republican party and has dropped hints of a White House bid in 2024.