KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA — On Saturday night, Governor Ron DeSantis made a surprise appearance at the Country Thunder music festival in Kissimmee. Some 20,000 people cheered and applauded to welcome the governor onto the stage.
“Hello, Country Thunder,” the governor said. “Are you glad to live in the free state of Florida?” The crowd immediately erupted in a roaring confirmation, with some chanting “USA! USA! USA!”
On October 16, Governor DeSantis together with First Lady Casey DeSantis and their children made a surprise appearance at a Lynyrd Skynyrd show in Hollywood, Florida. Earlier, in April, the band’s lead singer Johnny Van Zant and his brother Donny released a song called “Sweet Florida” that celebrates the governor and his efforts to keep the state free from authoritarian policies.
Governor Ron DeSantis is leading Democrat challenger Charlie Crist with double digits according to several polls. Among Latino voters, DeSantis has a strong lead according to a recent Telemundo/LX News poll, where the incumbent governor leads Crist by 51 to 44 percent.
On Friday, former President Barack Obama released a video where he endorses Charlie Crist. “Hey Florida, we have a lot of work to do, and it starts with making Charlie Crist your next governor. Charlie has two things I admire. Guts and decency,” Obama said.
Tonight, DeSantis and Crist will face off in their only televised public debate, which takes place at the Sunrise Theater in Fort Pierce at 7 pm.