Kamala Harris is riding a wave of enthusiasm from Democrats and the media after entering the race.
Now, she is making her first major decisions about her campaign.
And Kamala Harris picked the worst fight of her life when she tangled with Ron DeSantis.
Democrats ready to make a play in Florida
Democrats have struggled in Florida since former President Barack Obama carried the state in the 2012 Election.
They have only won one statewide election, 2018’s Commissioner of Agriculture race, since then.
Florida was considered off the board at the Presidential level for the 2024 Election.
President Joe Biden trailed former President Donald Trump in the state in every public poll this election cycle.
And neither campaign was spending much money in the state.
But Democrats are dreaming big after Vice President Kamala Harris became the party’s presumptive Presidential nominee after Biden ended his re-election campaign.
She hauled in $200 million in donations during the first week of her campaign and recruited nearly 200,000 volunteers.
Now, Florida Democrats are trying to channel the excitement about Harris’ entrance into the race.
Leon County, Florida Democrat Party chair Ryan Ray told Politico there has been a shift among Democrats.
“People were in the doldrums and felt like they were headed to a likely defeat,” Ray noted. “She makes Democratic base voters of all stripes more enthusiastic than we were before.”
The Harris campaign picked up 11,000 volunteer signups since its launch and they are being put to work.
The campaign will deploy 1,400 volunteers in a “Weekend of Action” to canvass voters at their homes and make 18,000 phone calls.
Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) warned not to count Florida Democrats out.
“My message is: Don’t sleep on Florida, because Kamala’s candidacy just woke a sleeping giant,” Wasserman Schultz said.
Florida was not listed on the Harris’ campaign pathways to victory in a campaign memo.
But Harris Florida state director Jasmine Burney-Clark was confident.
“Florida is a critical state this election, and it’s one we’re determined to win,” Burney-Clark stated. “We are seeing an overwhelming groundswell of support for Kamala Harris in Florida and our campaign is ramping up, building on the strong foundation we’ve already established, and working for every vote in this state.”
Ron DeSantis gives Democrats a reality check about Florida
Ron DeSantis has been confident that Florida has undergone a political transformation to the Right.
That did not change with Biden being swapped out for Harris.
“I really hope Harris spends/wastes a lot of time and resources in Florida,” DeSantis wrote on X. “We have Floridians who moved to our state to escape the policies of San Francisco Democrats. Implementing those policies nationally under a Harris administration is a non-starter.”
“Kamala has no chance in the Sunshine State,” DeSantis added.
And the numbers back him up.
The University of North Florida released a poll that found Trump had a 49% to 42% lead over Harris.
Donald Trump has a better chance of winning Florida by over 10% than Harris does of winning of the state.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
