Raised in Tampa Bay area, Ron DeSantis mocked for writing about Midwest cultural 'upbringing'

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A passage in Gov. Ron DeSantis' new book that talks about his upbringing and values is attracting attention, with some mocking it as pandering to voters in two key Midwestern states.

"I was geographically raised in Tampa Bay," DeSantis wrote. "but culturally my upbringing reflected the working-class communities in western Pennsylvania and northeast Ohio — from weekly church attendance to the expectation that one would earn his keep. This made me God-fearing, hard-working and America-loving."

DeSantis' father is from Pennsylvania. His parents met while attending Youngstown State University in Ohio, according to NBC News.

NBC mentioned the passage in a recent article highlighting how Midwestern communities "have become incubators for the kinds of cultural grievances that DeSantis nurtures."

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DeSantis critics are now seizing on the passage to mock the governor.

"I was geographically raised in Orlando with a cultural perspective that allows me to easily detect BS when I see it," tweeted state Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat.

"I was geographically raised in Plurality-of-the-Caucuses, Iowa but culturally my upbringing reflected the working-class communities in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada," tweeted Democratic operative Max Steele, referencing other important early states on the primary election calendar.

Rick Wilson, a former Republican consultant turned staunch Trump critics, tweeted: "I was geographically raised in Tampa Bay, but culturally my upbringing reflected the royal court at Versailles, with outstanding wigs, elegant discourse, and utter disregard for the seething class oppression necessary to sustain it."

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Ron DeSantis' book passage on Midwest upbringing mocked