OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Life is good for Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who enjoys immense popularity in his home state and nationally.
And he just learned that he broke a record by fundraising more than any governor in the history of the United States with a whopping $177.4 million, The Daily Wire reported.
Open Secrets reported that a review of state campaign finance records showed DeSantis’ re-election campaign has raised more than $31.4 million since January 2021, while DeSantis’ state-level PAC, Friends of Ron DeSantis, has raised $146 million since January 2019.
DeSantis’ massive political war chest has likely grown since he sent 50 illegal immigrants to the Martha’s Vineyard, a wealthy leftist enclave, last week, sparking left-wing outrage as he drew attention to President Joe Biden’s border crisis.
Open Secrets compiled a list of the top 20 most likely presidential candidates for 2024, including Biden and former President Donald Trump (R), and DeSantis crushed all of them in fundraising since January 2021.
But both he and former President Trump dwarfed President Joe Biden in fundraising, as did several others.
Trump raised an immense $131,052,563. Democrat Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker raised $133,252,795 and Biden was not close to them with a mere $11,850,907.
And all of this happened before Gov. DeSantis sent Democrats into a frenzy by shipping 50 undocumented migrants to Martha’s Vineyard.
A Latina Democrat who is the former Majority Leader of the California State Senate went off on “smug liberals” as she defended Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“More than two million undocumented immigrants will be arrested trying to cross into the U.S. in 2022. And Democrats don’t bat an eye,” Gloria Romero said in a piece for The Daily Mail.
“But fly 50 migrants to one of the wealthiest places in America, spotted with multi-million dollar mansions, surrounded by the mega-yachts of the rich and famous and Democrats lose their minds? What a joke!” she said.
She was referring to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and DeSantis conspiring to send 50 undocumented migrants to the liberal, wealthy Martha’s Vineyard last week.
“I am a Democrat and the former Majority Leader of the California State Senate. The first woman to ever hold that position. I am also a proud Latina.
“I am telling you that if the Democratic party thinks that Latinos are outraged by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sending migrants to Martha’s Vineyard – they are dead wrong!” she said.
She mocked the state of Massachusetts for calling in the National Guard to move the migrants as there are tent camps along the border with Mexico and red states continue to deal with the issue.
She wondered why poor, mostly Latino communities are expected to bear the burden of, what she called an, open border but a place like Martha’s Vineyard cannot.
“This Democratic stronghold — where the Obamas now reside — couldn’t stomach having 50 brown migrants in their midst without declaring an emergency and shipping them out of town within 24 hours,” the former California State Senator said.
“Liberals want open borders – just not in their immaculate backyards.
“While smug liberals and virtue-signaling progressives pretend that their immigration policies are ‘compassionate,’ Latinos know they are just cruel, naked politics,” she said.
“Good for Governor DeSantis, and Governor Greg Abbott in Texas and Governor Doug Ducey in Arizona for sending this powerful message by making Democrats shoulder their ‘fair share’ of the burden of a broken immigration system.
“After all, isn’t it the Democrats who scream about the rich shouldering their ‘fair share’?” she said.
Virtue signaling about being a sanctuary and actually being a sanctuary is not the same thing, as Martha’s Vineyard has learned. And the coordinator for Martha’s Vineyard homeless shelter Harbor Homes, Lisa Belcastro, made comments that set Twitter on fire.
She was asked on Thursday what the “most difficult challenges” are with handling the migrants, she had an answer that had many calling her a hypocrite.
“The difficult challenges are, we have, at some point in time they have to move from here to somewhere else,” she said.
Wow. The wealthiest, most well-connected people on earth can't take care of 50 people. Imagine what the poor and middle-class folks dealing with tens of thousands per day in border towns are dealing with. https://t.co/rWO9WClD5m
— Joel Berry (@JoelWBerry) September 15, 2022
“We cannot, we don’t have the services to take care of 50 immigrants,” she said. “And we certainly don’t have housing. We’re in a housing crisis as we are on this island. And we don’t, we can’t house everyone here that lives here and work here. We don’t have housing for 50 more people.”
