Gov. Ron DeSantis expects the Chicago mayoral election to lead to more population influx to the Sunshine State.
In Ocala, the Governor speculated Tuesday’s election of progressive Brandon Johnson over Paul Vallas, the candidate preferred by the same police union that invited DeSantis to speak earlier this year, would lead to an exodus from Chicagoland.
“You know, I’ve got to follow some of the elections outside of Florida because it affects Florida. This Chicago Mayor, people are going to flee Chicago in even greater numbers,” DeSantis said at an infrastructure press conference.
“We are going to get more refugees as a result of that because it’s like, you know, you see what’s not working and you go even further in that direction. You know, you just wonder like, what is going on? But there’s no question that, I think, you’re going to continue to see a downward (trend) there and I think you’re going to see people,” DeSantis added, predicting “probably more residents” would come to the Sunshine State.
On President’s Day, DeSantis spoke in Elmhurst to the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). Before those remarks, the FOP-backed candidate distanced himself from the Florida Governor.
Vallas told the Chicago Sun-Times “that there is simply no place in Chicago for a right-wing extremist like Ron DeSantis, and I am disappointed in FOP leadership for inviting him to speak to officers.”
DeSantis staffers had previously bemoaned the election results.
Press Secretary Bryan Griffin tweeted, “It is extremely saddening to watch America’s great cities fall by the willful destruction of leftists.”
Jeremy Redfern suggested Johnson was “worse than (current Mayor) Lori Lightfoot” in his own tweet.
Meanwhile, the parody account New York Times Pitchbot offered its own take, ironic in context of the Governor’s Friday’s comments in Ocala: “The real winner in tonight’s Chicago mayoral election? Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.”
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