Most Consequential GOP Victory This Century Was Ron DeSantis Over Andrew Gillum in 2018. It’s Not Even Close.

But what if Ron DeSantis, Florida governor, had never happened? What if the then-fiery GOP congressman had lost to former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, a progressive Democrat, in 2018? Indeed, it could have easily happened in that razor thin election that saw the Republican pull it off by fewer than 33,000 votes, 49.59% to 49.19%. It seemed like a nice victory, but at the time none of us had any idea how subsequent years would elevate it to perhaps the most significant GOP victory this century. Sure, Donald Trump’s win in 2016 was important, monumental even, but the long-term ramifications of a free COVID-era Florida are consequential beyond description.

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