The GOP Primaries are right around the corner, and though former President Donald Trump holds a commanding lead over his next closest competitor, the cliche still holds true: anything can happen. Considering the neverending attempts by Democrats to find a crime President Trump actually committed, it is good that the GOP has a deep bench in terms of contenders that could defeat Joe Biden should Trump not run. There are a number of candidates ready to step up should the former president bow out or somehow be ruled ineligible.
The most obvious names are former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Depending on the poll, it’s a tough call for the defacto “next man up,” in case President Trump is excluded. The GOP debates, which didn’t include the former president, showcased all potential candidates’ strengths and weaknesses, with Haley seeming to have the most momentum. That was until last week.
In an unprecedented move, the Florida Governor debated California’s Gavin Newsom, leading many to believe Newsom is set to replace Biden on the 2024 ticket. DeSantis fared very well against Newsom, and his fan base appears to be reenergized. The Florida Governor is wildly popular in the state and is generally considered the top Governor in the country. However, he is also a family man and a man of faith.
Recently, DeSantis joined others at the FAMiLY Leader’s Thanksgiving Family Forum and discussed the difficulties he and his wife had trying to conceive and how he leaned on his faith to get him through those trials. He said: “We were married, doing our thing. I was in the Navy, my wife was busy as a TV reporter, and we wanted to have a family, and it didn’t happen at first.”
DeSantis and his wife Casey took a trip to Israel in 2012 after he was first elected to the House of Representatives and literally prayed to have a child. The Florida Governor continued: “We prayed, we prayed a lot to have a family, and then, lo and behold, we go back to the United States, and a little time later, we … got pregnant. But unfortunately, we lost that first baby.”
After the disappointment of the miscarriage, the couple continued to pray and remain faithful until God delivered a baby girl. That couple didn’t stop at one, however. DeSantis concluded: “We just kept the faith, we just kept praying. We knew that there would be a path that God would lead us on, and lo and behold … a short time after … we had our first baby girl. We didn’t stop after that. We’ve got a 5-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter, and we’ve got a big, full, joyous household.”
It remains unlikely that Ron DeSantis will win the GOP nomination. President Trump is a force of nature that only continues to pick up steam like a late Summer hurricane. DeSantis is also unlikely to land on the ticket as Vice President, as he has openly stated no interest. Whatever happens between now and primary season, the GOP is set up down the road with faithful, capable, young leaders prepared to guide America out of Joe Biden’s economic funk. Ron DeSantis has faced and overcome challenges in life before and knows leaning into God, and faith is most important.
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