DeSantis touts Florida approach during California visit

Ron DeSantis told a crowd in Simi Valley on Sunday that the “woke mind virus” infiltrating schools, corporations and other institutions in California and other Democratic strongholds led to an influx of residents to his state, showing the popularity of his anti-liberal policies. “We have had a great experiment, a great test in governance philosophies,” DeSantis told an audience in the library’s spacious Air Force One Pavilion. And if you look over the last four years, we’ve witnessed a great American exodus from states governed by leftist politicians imposing leftist ideology and delivering poor results.” Lacing his remarks with statistics comparing Florida’s record on education, business creation, tourism, unemployment and other measures with states such as California and New York, DeSantis said his state’s results “speak for themselves.” DeSantis’ appearance in Simi Valley attracted both conservative luminaries, including former California Gov. “I believe parents should be able to send their kids to elementary school without having an agenda jammed down their throats.” The Florida governor, whose wife and two of his three children were in attendance, said he viewed these issues not only as a legislator but also as a “dad.” Though DeSantis is not raising money for himself during this California trip, he is meeting with wealthy donors and influential Republican Party leaders here and at events across the country as he promotes his new book, “The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival.” Additional stops are planned in the coming weeks in Alabama and Florida, as well as the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. “Your governor is very concerned about what we’re doing in Florida, so I figured I had to come by,” DeSantis said in Simi Valley, to applause and laughter.