In 2015, a little-known congressman from the Jacksonville area, Ron DeSantis, was running for U.S. Senate. The field was crowded – Rep. David Jolly, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, Todd Wilcox and DeSantis.
I was hosting “Pensacola Speaks” on WCOA and interviewed DeSantis three times and found the recordings. The candidate was much more open with the media then than today.
Why this matters: DeSantis would drop out of the Senate race when Marco Rubio decided to seek another term. He would successfully run for Florida Governor in 2018 and win re-election in 2022. On Wednesday, he announced his presidential bid.
The recordings offer insights into DeSantis when he was 36 running statewide stage for the first time.
August 2015
In August 2015, Congressman Ron DeSantis made a campaign stop in Pensacola. In this interview, I mispronounce his name several times, but I finally get it right about five minutes into it.
Reforming Washington
“I think if people look at my track record, the first thing I did when I got to Washington in 2013 was decline my Congressional pension.
“Between term limits, a balanced budget amendment, and making Congress live under the same laws as everybody else, I’m one of the leaders in reforming Washington.
“The bottom line is right now, six of the 10 wealthiest counties in our country are suburbs of Washington, D.C. They ain’t producing shale in Washington, technology, finance, or any of that. It’s all because of the growth of government and how people bend government to suit their own interests.
“I have a clear record of standing up against that kind of government. I think I’ll have a much bigger megaphone and a much better opportunity to really make a difference on those issues that I think really would transform Washington.”
October 2015
Congressman Ron DeSantis made another campaign stop in Pensacola on Oct. 12, 2015. Rep. Kevin McCarthy had dropped out of House Speaker’s race, opening the door for Paul Ryan. DeSantis planned to vote for fellow Floridian Rep. Daniel Webster.
Who is Ron DeSantis?
“I’m a guy who really has lived the American dream by coming from a blue-collar background and yet graduating from working my way through both Yale and Harvard and not only that but coming out more Conservative than when I went in, which is not easy to do.
“I also volunteered to serve in the Navy, and I didn’t get anything for schooling or any of that. I did it because I thought it was important to serve the country, volunteering to serve in Iraq, and continuing to serve in the Navy Reserve.
“I think people will like that profile, but then I think they’ll also look and say this is a guy that says what he means and does what he says, and he’s got a very consistent, strong, Conservative record. “
April 2016
Donald Trump is winning the GOP primaries. DeSantis talks about D.C. – both Democrats and Republicans – being disconnected from the voters.
In Touch
“We are the ones that are supposed to want to take power out of Washington. We want to limit government, limit spending and all this stuff. So we are supposed to be more in touch with the people because we want to return power to the people.
“When our guys go up there and some of these guys who are neck deep in the political debate, go native, then it harms us more.
“At the end of the day, once you get to Washington, all the currents are in the direction in the Democrats, the media, the interest groups in DC, just the bureaucracy. It’s all moving in the direction of bigger government.
“If you actually want to go in the other direction, you got to have a core set of principles, and you’ve got to be in touch with the people that sent you there. “