Surprised?
It’s not looking good for DeSantis’ “voter fraud” arrests. Not that it matters. He got what he wanted. He intimidated legal voters with a criminal history from voting which is what he was trying to do in the first place:
In August, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) held a “campaign-style event” and announced that 20 people had been arrested “for breaking Florida’s elections laws.” In a press release, DeSantis’ office set aside the presumption of innocence, branding the group “election criminals.”
The arrests were the result of charges filed by the Office of Election Crimes and Security, a new office created by DeSantis. The announcement successfully generated headlines that would appeal to voters looking for validation of Trump’s lies about the 2020 election
All of those charged were previously stripped of their right to vote after being convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense but voted in the 2020 election. . . .
How were 20 ineligible people permitted to vote? We now know it was because the State of Florida failed to do its job.
A prospective voter fills out a voter registration form and submits it to their local election supervisor. The local official then transmits the application to the Florida Department of State, which is responsible for cross-checking the application against a criminal database to determine whether the voter is eligible. In all 20 cases, the Florida Department of State did not flag the voter as ineligible. Therefore, local supervisors issued voter ID cards. So DeSantis is touting the arrests of people who believed they were eligible to vote because of the DeSantis administration’s failures.
As JV Last points out:
Spoiler: These arrests aren’t going to hold up in court. But that’s par for DeSantis, whose governing style is heavily tilted in favor of passing performative, unconstitutional legislation that fails legals tests.
This gambit from DeSantis was particularly low, but then he’s been making quite a play for the biggest asshole in politics prize. It may not pay off for him in the short run however:
For much of the past year, DeSantis has acted like a presidential candidate-in-waiting, leading many to believe he would take on Trump if the former president, as expected, gets in the race. DeSantis pointedly refused to seek Trump’s endorsement for his reelection. And during a debate against Crist last month, he declined to promise he would serve out his full four-year term as governor. DeSantis is also sitting on a campaign war chest of more than $180 million. In a profile of DeSantis for Vanity Fair’s November issue, I reported that DeSantis privately told donors that if he did run, he would launch a full-frontal assault on Trump’s record and competence.
But according to four prominent Republicans, DeSantis appears to be reconsidering his plans to run. Sources told me DeSantis recently indicated to donors that he would not challenge Trump for the Republican nomination. “He’s led them to believe he will not run if Trump does,” a Republican briefed on the donor conversations told me. Another source told me DeSantis’s calculus is that, at age 44, he can easily wait until the next presidential cycle, so why risk a brutal primary fight against a pugilist like Trump? “He can walk into the presidency in 2028 without pissing off Trump or Florida,” the source said. “What would you rather do? Be the governor of Florida for certain or go run for president?”
He knows Trump will destroy him if he challenges him. So he figures he can wait six years and build up his own asshole bonafides. There’s so much more lib owning he can do right there in Florida. If Trump gets in he’ll be his heir apparent. If he loses he’s finished and DeSantis picks up the torch. He’s young. He can wait.