Welcome to 2022 and welcome back to RBG’s Weekly Scoop, giving you the inside scoop on everything pertaining to the 2022 Gubernatorial Race and, most importantly, our efforts to oust Ron DeSantis from the Florida Governor’s mansion.
TODAY – Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Jacksonville amid a serious spike in COVID-19 cases and a shortfall in local testing. The press conference was delayed by activist Ben Frazier who showed up and said he was not leaving. “We’re not moving,” the 72-year-old Frazier said. “When it comes down to public welfare, this Governor does not care,” went some chants thereafter. As they handcuffed him, he asked “Why am I being handcuffed? Am I being arrested?” Read more on Florida Politics.
Video of the confrontation was shared on Twitter by reporter Glenna Milberg and can be viewed here.
The Democrats vs. Ron
The Governor’s political committee Friends of Ron DeSantis is entering 2022 with more than $69 million cash on hand, reports Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles. In comparison, Friends of Charlie Crist has reported $3,159,338 in donations since launching and Florida Consumers First PC (Nikki Fried’s committee) has reported $2,326,143 in donations since launching.
However, DeSantis’ investment in digital ads is not yet showing as wide of a gap as their bank account would allow. The Governor’s team appears to be scaling back on their Facebook spending while increasing their spending on Google. Democratic candidate Charlie Crist has surpassed DeSantis’ spending on Facebook over the past 90 days, coming in at $46,573 to DeSantis’ $44,138.
On Facebook, DeSantis continues to run ads against Joe Biden in his quest to run for president in 2024. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Charlie Crist and Annette Taddeo are running ads against DeSantis. One of Crist’s recent ads features former President Obama, who won Florida in both 2008 and 2012.
The Race for Governor Online
As COVID rates have continued to skyrocket across Florida, the conversation on Twitter amongst the candidates has become heated. Ron DeSantis was MIA from Christmas through the New Year after declaring on Twitter on December 20th that requiring masks on airlines is “COVID authoritarianism”. Charlie Crist joined in to call out DeSantis’ Surgeon General who announced Monday that the state is working to stop COVID testing amidst this surge.
Annette Taddeo also joined in to call out the Governor tweeting, “showing up to work (especially during a crisis) is NOT an option.”
Agricultural Commissioner and candidate Niki Fried filled in during DeSantis’ absence, meeting with the media to update Floridians on the status of COVID and testing lines in a video shared to her Twitter here.
In other news, Fried has also announced that her political committee will accept donations in cryptocurrency. You can watch the video of her announcement on Twitter here.
In the Press
RON DESANTIS
CNN: Pediatrician to FL governor: 'Listen to science' now more than ever. January 3rd, 2022. Florida pediatrician Dr. Lisa Gwynn urged Republican Governor Ron DeSantis not to 'go rogue,' and to listen to the science when making decisions about in-person learning and mask mandates during the surge of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Orlando Sentinel: DeSantis is ‘blurring the lines’ using state plane for campaign-style events, watchdog says. January 2nd, 2022. Gov. Ron DeSantis flies to events all over Florida in the state plane, which cost more than $15 million to buy and $3 million-plus a year to operate. But some of the official appearances his office promotes as news conferences have resembled campaign rallies, filled with Palm Beach International Airport supporters and political chants.
NBC: Florida Democrats blast 'MIA' Gov. Ron DeSantis as Covid cases surge. December 30th, 2021. Gov. Ron DeSantis has been missing in action as Covid cases in the state have spiked to new heights, Florida Democratic officials charge.
CHARLIE CRIST
Florida Politics: Charlie Crist urges CDC to release Florida’s breakthrough COVID-19 data. January 3rd, 2022. U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist is urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to release Florida’s data on the vaccination status of those infected with COVID-19, including those who have been hospitalized and died from the virus.
NIKKI FRIED
Florida Phoenix: Nikki Fried takes her Pfizer booster before the cameras as DeSantis remains mum. December 29th, 2022. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried invited the press to observe as she took her COVID vaccine booster shot on Wednesday, in pointed contrast to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ refusal to divulge whether he’s taken a booster shot.
ANNETTE TADDEO
South Florida Sun Sentinel: Annette Taddeo hopes visits to every Florida county can help her become governor. January 4th, 2022. Gubernatorial candidate Annette Taddeo said Monday she’s planning a 2022 road trip: an RV tour taking her to each of Florida’s 67 counties. The journey is a bid to get attention for her candidacy for the Democratic nomination to challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis this November.
That’s all for this week. To support Ron Be Gone’s work you can contribute online via ActBlue here or reach out to mikayla@ronbegone.com for more information. Thank you for your continued support.
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