Florida Gov. DeSantis Announces Start of 2022 Reelection Campaign Based on State's 'Freedom'

DeSantis, publicly known for consistently standing up to the federally imposed COVID-19 restrictive measures, such as mask and vaccine mandates, was first elected in 2018, and his current term will end in January 2023.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his intention to run for re-election in 2022 on Monday, claiming that he has "delivered on all fronts" during his first term in office and telling US media that he has "only just begun to fight."

DeSantis officially launched his re-election campaign by filing papers and updating his website for campaigning purposes.

"When I became governor, I pledged to foster economic opportunity, support K-12 education, usher in a new era for Florida’s Everglades and water resources, ensure the integrity of our elections and stand for public safety and the rule of law," DeSantis said in a press release.

The governor stressed that he has "delivered on all fronts" during his current term.

"Florida’s economy is strong, we’ve boosted teacher pay, made historic investments in Everglades restoration and water quality, signed strong election integrity legislation," he said, listing his accomplishments, adding that his administration "provided unparalleled support for law enforcement and appointed strong constitutionalists to our state courts."

DeSantis also claimed that he "protected individual Floridians and small businesses by keeping Florida open" and that he "stood up for students and parents by ensuring schools provided in-person instruction and by championing the rights of parents."

"We’ve also taken on Big Tech censorship, banned sanctuary cities, ensured that municipalities cannot defund law enforcement and stood up to the Biden regime," he added.

"And I’ve only just begun to fight," he concluded.

On his personal Twitter, the governor added that he strengthened the electoral process in his state, apparently hinting at allegations of multiple irregularities during the recent 2020 presidential election.

I proactively took measures to further secure Florida's elections, signing the strongest election integrity legislation anywhere in America. We expanded ID requirements and banned Zuckerbucks, ballot harvesting, and mass sending of unsolicited mail-in ballots.

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantisFL) November 8, 2021

According to experts in the US media, winning the Florida gubernatorial post again may be very important for DeSantis if he intends to try his luck in the presidential election in 2024. The governor himself, however, has stated that he does not plan to participate in the race.

DeSantis has only one Republican competitor in the GOP primary - John Joseph Mercadante, who ran for governor of Florida in the 2018 primary.

Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist of Florida, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, David Nelson Freeman, Ivan Graham, Jonathan Karns, Amaro Lionheart, Alexander Lundmark, Timothy Lemont Mosley, state Senator Annettee Taddeo, Robert Lee Wills, and Randy Zapata are among the Democrats who have declared their candidacy for the Democratic primary.

Although DeSantis enjoys support among conservative voters and is even considered a Republican party star, Democrats reportedly suggest he could suffer defeat over his handling of the pandemic.

With the emergence of the Delta variant, the Sunshine State did become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the US this summer. However, COVID-19 cases have decreased in Florida over the last month, and the most current polls show DeSantis with a substantial lead over all of his Democratic opponents.