Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has become one of the top choices to win the Republican nomination for president in 2024, in part due to his involvement in politics outside his home state. That trend continued Monday as DeSantis brought the message that he’s tough on crime to a gathering of law enforcement officers in New York.
The governor expressed his support for the police, while explaining his intolerance for “wokeness.”
“They’re putting woke ideology ahead of your safety as New Yorkers or as people from Illinois or wherever you have this type of policy taking place. So, what have we done in Florida? When they were talking about defunding police and slashing budgets, we said, ‘not on my watch,’ that’s not happening,” DeSantis said.
The same day, DeSantis brought that same message to an event for members of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police. That visit is now causing a stir in the city’s ongoing mayoral race.
Paul Vallas, the candidate endorsed by the union, expressed disappointment in hosting DeSantis.
“DeSantis’ record of trying to erase the LGBTQ community, banning books on Black history, and much more, is not in line with my values, the values of our community, or the values of the rank and file police officers, who I believe have no interest in getting swept up in culture wars and national Republican Party politics,” Vallas said.
