The unique perspective and provocative opinions of Joe O’Neill
Gubernatorial Subplots
If you’re Ron DeSantis and you’ve just had Donald Trump campaigning with you, how do you top that? Well, you don’t, but you’d gladly settle for a three-stop Florida campaign tour with Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, founder of the Freedom Caucus and a prime candidate for Speaker of the House. And as for Jordan being embroiled in that controversy about whether he knew about sexual abuse of Ohio State wrestlers by a team doctor when he was an OSU coach, well, that’s probably “fake news.”
A Gwen Graham-Bob Buckhorn ticket? The I-4 vote is still critically important and the pragmatic, pro-business, progressive Democratic mayor of a resurgent hub city in a major market could certainly help, but Buckhorn as a LIEUTENANT governor? Hizzoner could likely help get the Democratic and independent vote out and, if successful, help change Tallahassee’s GOP-skewed, political dynamics. But he might just want a reward better than a political-career dead end.
“The Seinfeld candidate.” That’s Adam Putnam’s characterization of Ron DeSantis, who has been, points out Putnam, running a campaign “about nothing.” Good line, Adam, but nothing neutralizes “proud NRA sellout.”