Ron DeSantis’ 2 terms in office fundamentally altered Florida’s political landscape, cementing conservative policies through strategic control of state institutions

After eight years in office, Gov. Ron DeSantis leaves Florida much more conservative than he found it.

By: Liv Coleman, University of Tampa, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: September 30, 2026

Words: 1,467

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 4 days ago

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By Liv Coleman, University of Tampa

When Ron DeSantis was first elected governor of Florida in November 2018, he won with a margin of just over 30,000 votes – less than four-tenths of 1% of all the votes cast in the election.

At that time, Florida was the biggest swing state in presidential politics, and DeSantis had hitched his wagon to Donald Trump, a president who had only narrowly won the state two …

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