So the red wave has turned out to be a red trickle. There is much that is not yet known about the 2022 election. But we do know that Ron DeSantis has been reelected with an astounding 19-point victory as governor of Florida. We know that DeSantis won counties that have been Democratic strongholds for decades. We know that DeSantis increased his support in the Hispanic community.
I think there is a very important lesson to be learned from DeSantis’ victory. A lesson Republicans deny every election cycle.
For as long as I have been a voting American, 42 years, Republicans have been urged to keep our hands off of social issues. Social conservatives are “extreme” and “radical,” say the people who want abortion up to (and sometimes including) the point of birth. It was considered campaign death to even mention social issues.
DeSantis ignored all this advice. He took on issues the Republican leadership would prefer not to mention. He addressed concerns that worried regular moms and dads.
While all Democrats, and even some Republicans, were kneeling to BLM, DeSantis banned the teaching of critical race theory. DeSantis challenged the LGBTQ+ agenda with the Parental Rights in Education Bill. He challenged Disney, one of the biggest political donors and employers in Florida. He signed a bill banning abortion after 15 weeks. Trans surgeries were banned for minors.
Every Democrat in America made DeSantis the focus of their hatred. RINOs such as Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) had harsh words for the Florida governor. The entire entertainment and media complex put a target on DeSantis’ back. He did not flinch, he did not bend. He stood strong for what he believed.
The result on election night was the biggest win in the country. The result was traditionally blue counties turning red. The result was large support from the Hispanic communities in those counties. Other Republican candidates focused solely on fiscal issues, and lost. DeSantis ran on those dangerous social issues, and had a blowout victory.
Andrew Breitbart famously said that “politics is downstream of culture.” The Republican Party establishment ran away from the culture wars as fast as they could. They want us to follow them. But Republicans have tried the “safe” way and failed again and again. We are not going to reclaim this country after surrendering the culture to the Left. It is clear that bread and butter issues are not enough to sway the electorate.
DeSantis offers a path forward: He fights the culture war and wins. Conservatives would be fools not to follow that path.