WATCH: Ron DeSantis's Full Re-Election Victory Speech in Tampa, Florida

 

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr

On Tuesday, Ron DeSantis won a second term as governor of Florida. DeSantis easily won over his opponent, Democrat and former Governor Charlie Crist.

DeSantis is expected to run for president in 2024. Christ, a former one-term governor of Florida, now has the distinction of having lost an election in Florida on three different political platforms (Republican, Democrat, and independent), and he will not be returning to the House of Representatives.

DeSantis, in his victory speech, said these words (transcript):

Over these past four years, we've seen major challenges for the people of our state, for the citizens of the United States, and above all for the cause of freedom. We saw freedom in our very way of life and in so many other jurisdictions in this country. Florida, withering on the vine, held the line.

We chose facts over fear, education over indoctrination, law and order over rioting and disorder; Florida was a haven of sanity when the rest of the world went insane, and we served as a beacon of liberty for people all over the country and the world.

We faced attacks, took hits, and weathered storms, but we did not back down; we had the conviction to guide us and the courage to lead. We made promises to the people of Florida, and we have kept those promises.

Today, after four years, the people have delivered their verdict: freedom is here to stay. You are here, thank you very much, and now, thanks to the overwhelming support of the people of Florida, we have not only won elections but also rewritten the political map.

I want to thank all of our campaign staff, from campaign manager Genera Pack down, because this was the best-run campaign in the history of Florida politics.

I want to thank all of our wonderful volunteers who worked so hard to get out the vote. Your support means the world to Casey and me. God bless you and thank you.

It's a lot easier to run a good campaign when you've got a great record to run on, and I would not have been able to see the level of accomplishments that we saw unless I had outstanding personnel working in the executive office of the governor as well as heading state agencies. These folks worked hard to implement our agenda; they believed in it, and the results have been historic. Thank you for your support and work.

Thank you to Miami-Dade County, and thank you to Palm Beach County. Now we're still counting the votes, but it's clearly apparent that this election we will have garnered a significant number of votes from people who may not have voted for me four years ago, and I just want to let you know that I am honoured to have earned your trust and your support over these four years.

Thank you to the greatest first lady (Casey DeSantis) in all 50 states for being a great wife, giving unwavering support, being a tremendous mother to our three young children, and serving as an example for women throughout this state, especially going through the battle with cancer. She is remarkable.

Today is the culmination of the two 2022 fall elections, but in reality, Americans have been voting for many years; now they've been voting with their feet, and the results of that behaviour have been just as stark as our landslide victory today.

States and cities governed by leftist politicians have seen crimes skyrocket, their taxpayers abused, medical authoritarianism imposed, and American principles discarded. The woke agenda has caused millions of Americans to leave these jurisdictions for greener pastures.

Now, the great Exodus of Americans has served as the promised land for those who saw Florida as the promised land. We have embraced freedom, we have maintained law and order, we have protected the rights of parents, we have respected our taxpayers, and we reject woke ideology.

We fight the woke in the legislature; we fight the woke in the schools; we fight the woke and the corporations; and we will never, ever surrender to the woke mob.

People have come here because our policies work and our leadership matters. We refuse to use polls and put our finger in the wind.

We set out a vision, executed that vision, and produced historical results, and the people of this state have responded in record fashion. Now, while our country flounders due to failed leadership in Washington, Florida is on the right track.

I believe the survival of the American experiment requires a revival of true American principles. Florida has proven that it can be done. We offer a ray of hope that better days still lie ahead. I am proud of our achievements in this state, I am honoured by your support, and I look forward to the road ahead. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race in this first term, and I have kept the faith. We've accomplished more than anybody thought possible four years ago, but we've got so much more to do, and I've only begun to fight. God bless you all.