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Ron DeSantis - latest: Campaign fires staffer over Nazi meme as animal blamed for motorcade crash

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Gustaf Kilander
Wednesday 26 July 2023 10:13 EDT
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Ron DeSantis: CCTV shows emergency services attending car crash scene

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Ron DeSantis was in a car crash while on his way to a fundraiser in Tennessee.

The Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate was uninjured in the Tuesday morning incident.

“We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail,” spokesperson Bryan Griffin said in a statement.

Mr DeSantis was set to attend fundraisers in Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Nashville on Tuesday as his campaign is reported to be floundering both in terms of funding and poll numbers.

Meanwhile, the governor’s presidential campaign continues to suffer internal turmoil.

A staffer was recently fired for posting a video using Nazi imagery superimposed on Mr DeSantis’s face.

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Ron DeSantis in car crash as he heads to Tennessee campaign event

Ron DeSantis was in a car crash while on his way to a campaign event in Tennessee.

The Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate was uninjured in the Tuesday morning incident.

“This morning, the governor was in a car accident while traveling to an event in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He and his team are uninjured. We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail,” spokesperson Bryan Griffin said in a statement, according to CNN.

Mr DeSantis was set to attend fundraisers in Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Nashville on Tuesday as his campaign is reported to be floundering both in terms of funding and poll numbers.

Read more:

Ron DeSantis in car crash as he heads to Tennessee campaign event

Ron DeSantis was in a car crash while on his way to a campaign event in Tennessee.

Gustaf Kilander25 July 2023 14:34
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VIDEO: CCTV shows emergency services attending car crash scene

Ron DeSantis: CCTV shows emergency services attending car crash scene
Gustaf Kilander25 July 2023 14:57
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Ron DeSantis: CCTV shows emergency services attending scene of presidential hopeful’s car crash

CCTV footage shows emergency services attending the scene of a car crash involving Ron DeSantis in Tennessee on Tuesday, 25 July.

The Republican presidential nominee was involved in a collision while travelling to an event in Chattanooga but was uninjured, his spokesperson Bryan Griffin said.

“We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail,” Mr Griffin added.

Mr DeSantis, 44, had been scheduled to hold events in the state on Tuesday.

Ron DeSantis: CCTV shows emergency services attending car crash scene

CCTV footage shows emergency services attending the scene of a car crash involving Ron DeSantis in Tennessee on Tuesday, 25 July. The Republican presidential nominee was involved in a collision while travelling to an event in Chattanooga but was uninjured, his spokesperson Bryan Griffin said. “We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail,” Mr Griffin added. Mr DeSantis, 44, had been scheduled to hold events in the state on Tuesday.

Holly Patrick25 July 2023 15:09
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Ron DeSantis has already blown 40 per cent of his campaign donations – on private jets and fancy campaign dinners

Ron DeSantis’s campaign advisers took the rare (and sometimes fatal) step of acknowledging mismanagement of the Florida governor’s presidential bid this weekend, as reports revealed that he is burning through cash with little to show for it.

The Florida governor’s top staff and advisers were in Utah on Sunday where, according to Politico, they appeared in front of dozens of restless campaign donors who have expressed concern about a return on their investments and the overall trajectory of Mr DeSantis’s bid for the White House.

Read more:

Ron DeSantis has already blown 40 per cent of his campaign donations

Florida governor’s campaign has languished in second place and failed to gain ground on Donald Trump

John Bowden25 July 2023 15:20
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Nikki Haley leads Ron DeSantis in South Carolina, Fox poll shows

Two new polls from Fox Business show that Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s numbers in the Republican presidential primary continue to tumble in Iow in South Carolina, where the state’s former governor Nikki Haley has eclipsed him.

Fox Business surveyed 806 Iowa Caucus goers between 15 July and 19 July with a margin of error of 3.5 per centage points. It also surveyed 808 South Carolina Republican primary voters within the same time frame with the same margin of error as the Iowa survey.

Read more:

Nikki Haley leads Ron DeSantis in South Carolina: Fox poll

The numbers show the former South Carolina governor remains a force in her home state and a threat to the lagging Florida governor

Eric Garcia25 July 2023 15:30
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Four cars in DeSantis motorcade collided with each other as traffic slowed, police say

Mr DeSantis was set to attend fundraisers in Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Nashville on Tuesday as his campaign is reported to be floundering both in terms of funding and poll numbers.

The crash took place on I-75 South close to the 2.8-mile marker, south of the 153 exit, according to News Channel 9.

Chattanooga Police told News Channel 9 that it was a minor crash and as traffic slowed down, four cars in the motorcade transporting Mr DeSantis collided with each other. Law enforcement said one of the staffers suffered a minor injury. Mr DeSantis and his staff continued their journey to the fundraisers.

Gustaf Kilander25 July 2023 15:45
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The presidential candidates who have so far met criteria to join first RNC debate

Six Republican presidential candidates have met the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) new criteria to participate in the first GOP debate on 23 August.

Former president Donald Trump, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina senator Tim Scott have all qualified.

Read more:

The presidential candidates who have so far met criteria to join first RNC debate

Republican National Committee enacted new rules requiring candidates to meet a criteria before stepping onto the debate stage

Ariana Baio25 July 2023 16:00
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DeSantis defends Florida curriculum that suggests slaves benefited from forced labour

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis defended a hard-right school curriculum that went into effect in his state this week while on the campaign trail for the Republican presidential nomination.

At an event in Utah, Governor DeSantis defended how slavery will now be taught in Florida middle schools. Children will now be taught that enslaved persons picked up skills that they later “parlayed” into profitable crafts after slavery was abolished.

Read more:

DeSantis defends Florida curriculum that suggests slaves benefited from forced labour

Florida schools have embraced curriculum that shys away from discussing the evils of slavery

John Bowden25 July 2023 16:30
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Challenge to Florida drag shows law won't go to trial until next spring

A trial to determine if a new Florida law targeting drag shows is constitutional won’t start until next spring.

A filing posted in federal court in Tallahassee late last week shows that the trial won’t start until the beginning of June 2024. It is scheduled to last two days and will be decided by a judge instead of a jury.

The law, championed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, is on hold for now. A federal judge last month issued a temporary injunction preventing it from being enforced until the trial is held. The state of Florida has appealed that decision.

Read more:

Challenge to Florida drag shows law won't go to trial until next spring

A trial to determine if a new Florida law targeting drag shows is constitutional won’t start until next spring

AP25 July 2023 17:00
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How Trump is gaining an advantage in the nitty-gritty battle for delegates

Set aside the polls, the fundraising numbers or Donald Trump’s name recognition as metrics of his early dominance of the Republican presidential contest. He has what could prove to be the most important advantage in the race: a leg up in winning the delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination.

While the delegate count won’t begin taking shape until voting begins next January, Trump’s edge in the race to win their votes is years in the making. Many state Republican parties made changes to their rules ahead of the 2020 election by adding more winner-take-all contests and requiring candidates to earn higher percentages of the vote to claim any delegates. Those changes all benefit a frontrunner, a position Trump has held despite his mounting legal peril, blame for his party’s lackluster performance in the 2022 elections and the turbulent years of his presidency.

Read more:

How Trump is gaining an advantage in the nitty-gritty battle for delegates

Donald Trump's Republican presidential rivals appear to be at a disadvantage in the battle for delegates who will actually determine the party’s 2024 nominee

Michelle L. Price, AP25 July 2023 17:30

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