DeSantis rallies in Ormond Beach during 'Don't Tread on Florida' campaign tour

While the 2022 governor’s race won't be decided until all the votes are counted, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s stop at the 2A Ranch in Ormond Beach felt like a victory tour as much as it did a rally.

The governor’s "Don’t Tread on Florida Tour," which started Friday, will take DeSantis through 13 counties by the end of Monday leading up to Election Day. On Saturday, he promised a few hundred Volusia and Flagler voters that he will continue to "keep Florida free."

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"Woke ideology is on the march..." he declared. And it needs to be combatted.

"We have fought the woke in businesses, we have fought the woke in schools and, yes, we have fought the woke in the practice of medicine," DeSantis said.

The governor was joined by local politicians, including Sen. Tom Wright, Rep. Tom Leek, Rep. Webster Barnaby and Rep. Paul Renner, all of whom are up for re-election.

DeSantis, who was first elected in 2018, is leading Democrat Charlie Crist by double digits in recent polls, a far cry from the last three races for governor, which have been decided by one percentage point or less.

DeSantis stresses 'Freedom Agenda'

DeSantis has campaigned on a "Freedom Agenda” to secure parental rights in education, safe communities, tax relief and a protected environment, according to a recent press release.

At the rally, he reminded voters of his record on making Florida "a beacon of freedom" over the past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, which included keeping schools and businesses open, boosting economic output, preventing mask and vaccine mandates and implementing parental rights laws.

He also touted his response efforts to Hurricane Ian, defended sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard and touched on his culture war with Disney, reminding voters that the company will no longer have its own government and will pay its fair share of taxes, a mission he pushed after Disney spoke out against the Parental Rights in Education law.

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DeSantis also targeted President Joe Biden and Democrats, pointing to inflation, high gas and utility prices. He supported establishing more energy independence, fortifying the borders and providing tax relief.

Crist has tried to make the most of his limited resources and opportunities, and focused his campaign message heavily on abortion and pocketbook issues, especially soaring property insurance premiums.

Rally-goers support DeSantis, expect 'red wave'

"He stands by his word. It’s not, ‘Oh, we promise you this,’ and we don’t get it," Ormond Beach resident Jenna Jackola said of DeSantis after the event.

While Jackola and friend Tiffany Billings had been among the thousands who saw Donald Trump Jr. speak at the ranch two years ago, this was their first time seeing DeSantis in person.

"We’ve supported DeSantis since the beginning, so anything he is at, we are definitely going to be there to support him," Billings said. "I love hearing him speak. I think he’s a great speaker."

Billings, who plans to vote on Election Day, said that parental rights were especially important to them, and she believes DeSantis got things turned around after the coronavirus better than other states in terms of kids going back to school and not having to wear masks.

She believes DeSantis will win but acknowledged it was a close race last time. Jackola was more confident in "a red wave" this election.

Deborah Havens of Ormond-by-the-Sea and Ann Ceckowski of Ormond Beach are both voting Republican down the line too.

"DeSantis is definitely going to win. Crist is not going to win," Havens, who is part of the Republican Conservatives Ormond Beach Assembly, said. "I’d say it’s going to be majority red."

She said she supports "everything that DeSantis stands for" and previously worked on his campaign when he ran for Congress.

Havens and Ceckowski commended his message of freedom and parental rights when it comes to children's vaccination and discussion of sexual orientation.

Republicans have advantage in cash, polling and voter turnout

DeSantis has raised a staggering amount of money compared to Crist, including $183.2 million through Oct. 14, more than any governor in American history, according to Open Secrets, which tracks campaign contributions and spending nationwide. Crist has brought in $28.4 million.

Those dollar amounts reflect the heavy tilt toward Republicans in campaign advertising. Ad Impact, which tracks campaign ad spending, estimates $62 million has been spent by Republicans on the Florida governor’s race, compared to $8 million by Democrats.

The GOP also has the advantage when it comes to number of voters. Voter registration records show there are 5,277,394 registered Republicans in Florida and 4,971,444 Democrats, a difference of 305,950 votes.

In Volusia County so far, more than 46,000 ballots have come from Democrats, over 64,000 from Republicans and over 30,000 from voters with no party or other affiliation.

In Flagler County, nearly 12,000 ballots have been from Democrats, over 20,000 from Republicans and over 7,000 from those with no or other affiliation.

Across Florida, Republicans have cast over 306,000 more ballots than Democrats in early voting, including in-person and mail-in votes. Nearly 827,000 ballots have been cast by voters with no party or other affiliation, however.

While no governor or presidential candidate has carried Florida by more than three percentage points over the last 14 years, the last four public polls show DeSantis leading Crist by double digits. RealClearPolitics, which averages major polls in races nationwide, has DeSantis with a lead of 11.5 points.

It has been 20 years since a Florida governor won by greater than a single digit margin, going back to Republican Jeb Bush’s 12.8 percentage point victory over Democrat Bill McBride in 2002.

Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Gov. Ron DeSantis visits Ormond Beach for pre-election campaign tour