Ron DeSantis

**Ronald Dion DeSantis** (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician serving as the 46th governor of Florida since 2019. Before becoming governor, he was the U.S. representative from  from 2013 to 2018. DeSantis was a candidate for the 2024 presidential election, but suspended his campaign before the primaries in January 2024.

After graduating from Yale University and Harvard Law School, DeSantis joined the U.S. Navy in 2004 and was promoted to lieutenant before serving as a legal advisor to SEAL Team One. He was stationed at Joint Task Force Guantanamo in 2006 and was deployed to Iraq in 2007. When DeSantis returned to the U.S. about eight months later, the U.S. attorney general appointed DeSantis to serve as a special assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Florida until his honorable discharge from active military duty in 2010.

DeSantis was first elected to Congress in 2012 and was reelected in 2014 and 2016. He briefly ran for U.S. Senate in 2016 but withdrew when incumbent senator Marco Rubio sought reelection. DeSantis won the Republican nomination for the 2018 gubernatorial election and narrowly defeated the Democratic nominee, Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum, in the general election.

In the 2022 gubernatorial election, he defeated former governor Charlie Crist in a landslide. On May 24, 2023, DeSantis announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president. On January 21, 2024, DeSantis withdrew his presidential candidacy and endorsed Trump.

## Early life

Ronald Dion DeSantis was born on September 14, 1978, in Jacksonville, Florida to Karen Rogers DeSantis and Ronald D. DeSantis Sr. During his childhood, DeSantis lived in Orlando for a short time before moving to Dunedin, Florida. At six years old, he had a sister named Christina DeSantis who was born in 1985.

He was a member of the Little League team for 1991 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He attended schools and universities such as, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, Dunedin High School, Yale University, and Harvard Law School. DeSantis also was Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

### Military Service (2004–2010)

DeSantis volunteered and joined the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the Judge Advocates Generals Corps for the Naval Station Mayport and also worked for the Joint Task Force-Guantanamo, Guantanamo Bay Joint Detention Facility, and Naval Special Warfare Command as a military lieutenant.

He was deployed to the Iraq War along with other colleague troops in 2007 and later returned to the United States in 2008. DeSantis served as a naval and military officer from 2004 until his honorable discharge in February 2010. During his military career, DeSantis was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal.

## U.S. representative

DeSantis previously served as a congressman for Florida's 6th congressional district and he was the chairman of ten different committee agenda assignments for the 114th United States Congress. DeSantis served as a congressman for the state's congressional district for five years from 2013 until he resigned in September 2018.

## Governor of Florida

In January 2018, He officially announced his candidacy for governor to succeed term-limited governor Rick Scott and had chosen Florida congresswoman Jeanette Nuñezas his running mate for lieutenant governor. In August 2018, DeSantis won the republican primary in the general election. At age 40, he was the youngest person to become governor since Park Trammell in 1913 and the youngest Republican ever to serve in the position.

In November 2018, DeSantis defeated Tallahassee mayor and democratic candidate Andrew Gillum in the gubernatorial race. He was officially sworn in as the 46th governor of Florida on January 8, 2019.

As governor, DeSantis did not support taking many of the measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, such as face-mask mandates, stay-at-home orders, and vaccination requirements. In May 2021, DeSantis signed into law a bill that banned businesses, schools, cruise ships, and government entities from requiring proof of vaccination. He passed the controversial Parental Rights in Education Act, with opponents labeling it as the _Don't Say Gay Bill,_ which banned schools from talking about sexual orientation and gender identity, specifically with elementary aged children. As a result, The Walt Disney Company had criticized DeSantis and the two have been in a political, legal and business feud.

In November 2021, DeSantis launched his reelection campaign to a second term as governor.

On November 8, 2022, he defeated former Florida governor and Democratic candidate Charlie Crist to a second term as governor with Jeanette Nuñez as his running mate in the 2022 election.

## 2024 presidential campaign

Before he announced his candidacy many people speculated that Ron DeSantis would run for President of the United States in the 2024 election, although he initially denied any intention of doing so.

After the 2022 midterm elections, when DeSantis was reelected governor by almost 20 percentage points, some thought it might increase his chances of running for president because the candidates that DeSantis supported won their elections whereas the ones supported by Trump lost. In addition in April 2023 polls showed DeSantis performing better than former President Donald Trump in battleground states.

On May 18, 2023 it was then reported that DeSantis would announce his presidential campaign the following week. He officially announced his candidacy on May 24.

After coming in a distant second place finish in the Iowa caucuses, DeSantis ended his campaign on January 21, 2024 and endorsed former President Donald Trump.

## Personal life

DeSantis had met Casey Black at Naval Station Mayport  when he was a naval officer and they got married in September 2009, at Disney World. They have three children together, two daughters named Madison and Mamie DeSantis, and a son named Mason DeSantis.

DeSantis had a younger sister named Christina Marie DeSantis, but she died in May 2015 at the age of 30 in London, United Kingdom.

## Official websites

- Official Florida Governor website
- Campaign website

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Ron DeSantis
- **image**: Ron DeSantis official photo.jpg
- **caption**: Official portrait,
- **order1**: 46th
- **office1**: Governor of Florida
- **term start1**: January 8, 2019
- **predecessor1**: Rick Scott
- **state2**: Florida
- **term start2**: January 3, 2013
- **term end2**: September 10, 2018
- **predecessor2**: Cliff Stearns (redistricting)
- **successor2**: Michael Waltz
- **birth name**: Ronald Dion DeSantis
- **birth place**: Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
- **party**: Republican Party (United States), Republican
- **children**: 3
- **residence**: Florida Governor's Mansion, Governor's Mansion
- **branch**: United States Navy
- **serviceyears**: 2004–2010 (active)
2010–2019 (reserve)
- **rank**: Lieutenant commander (United States), Lieutenant Commander
- **unit**: Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Judge Advocate General's Corps
United States Navy Reserve
- **battles**: Iraq War
- **mawards**: Bronze Star Medal
 Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
 Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
 Iraq Campaign Medal
- **signature**: DeSantis signature 2021-04.svg