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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Richard Luscombe

DeSantis struggles to shake Hurricane Idalia’s dark clouds after snub to Biden

Florida governor Ron DeSantis talks on the phone with President Joe Biden as he stands outside storm-damaged restaurant during a visit to Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on 31 August.
Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis talks on the phone with President Joe Biden outside a storm-damaged restaurant during a visit to Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on 31 August. Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

One reality of Florida politics is that a bad hurricane for the state traditionally blows good fortune for its governor. It was true for Rick Scott, elected a senator in November 2018, one month after guiding Florida through category 5 Hurricane Michael; and again for Ron DeSantis, whose landslide re-election last year followed his much-praised handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

This year, however, DeSantis is struggling to shake the dark clouds of Hurricane Idalia, as his return to the national stage to try to rescue his flailing presidential campaign after an 11-day break has been further scarred by his “petty and small” snub of Joe Biden’s visit to Florida last weekend to survey the storm’s damage.

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