Ron DeSantis as Secretary of Defense, Senator, Talk Show Host?

Today we discuss whether Ron DeSantis will remain governor, who might replace him, and why it’s high time to clean up the dumpster fire at the Orange County Election Office.

Let’s start with DeSantis, who has two years left in his second and final term as governor and is trying to decide what to do next.

With his presidential aspirations stifled, his confidants say he is considering joining Donald Trump’s team, but is also expressing interest in hosting his own talk show.

The first idea makes sense. The second seems as natural as serving toadfish at a dinner party. With the head still in place.

Anyone who saw DeSantis struggle to interact with his peers at the Iowa State Fair and other presidential events last year knows that charisma is not his strong suit. His natural attitude is austere. And his interest in opinions other than his own is almost non-existent. In fact, the nicest thing about DeSantis is his wife and kids. So unless they co-host with him, it’s hard to imagine DeSantis as the next Larry King or Rush Limbaugh.

Joining Team Trump makes more sense. The former Navy lawyer has less baggage than Pete Hegseth. And in a world where Dan Newlin is the next ambassador to Colombia and Tulsi Gabbard could soon lead national intelligence, DeSantis’ qualifications are ahead of the curve.

Still, there isn’t much job security in Trump world. Your tenure there only lasts until he tires of you. And, as Anthony Scaramucci, former White House communications director, can attest, it can last as little as 10 days.

In fact, that’s why some DeSantis critics are praying that he would abandon Florida to join Team Trump — because he would no longer be governor and yet could find himself unemployed a few months later.

All of this is to say that, from a job security standpoint, the safest thing DeSantis could probably do is consider one of his less-discussed options and run for U.S. senator, now that Marco Rubio is leaving.

Of course, that would seem selfish. (And defy Trump’s desire to choose his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump). Additionally, voters in other states have consistently kicked out other governors who nominated themselves to the Senate in upcoming elections. But Florida is different. Here, voters almost never oust GOP incumbents from statewide office. Not once since the beginning of this century. Lawton Chiles was the last Democrat to do so, ousting Republican Governor Bob Martinez in 1990.

So if DeSantis has to decide whether he thinks Trump will still like the man he nicknamed “DeSanctimonious” a year from now, whether TV executives will find his personality charming enough to sign a long-term contract, or whether he should occupy a seat in the Senate. he could potentially keep it as long as he wants, this choice seems simple enough.

If DeSantis opts for either a Trump office or a Senate seat, Florida will immediately get a new governor: Jeanette Núñez.

If you don’t know this state’s lieutenant governor, you’re not alone. Most people wouldn’t recognize a lieutenant governor if they were on a date with him.

In fact, I looked through the Orlando Sentinel archives to see how many times I’d typed Núñez’s name since she became lieutenant governor and found I could count them on zero fingers.

And you know what? Good for her. Historically, the only time lieutenant governors make news in this state is when they are wrong.

Remember Jeff Kottkamp? Probably not. His claim to fame was $425,000 in travel expenses – a particularly impressive sum since his job responsibilities consisted of only one thing: staying alive. (Literally, this is the only official duty that the Florida Constitution assigns to this otherwise meaningless position).

After that came former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, who resigned after being implicated in an investigation involving a charity linked to gaming operations.

So if Núñez has managed to stay out of the news, that’s a good thing.

His record is also much more moderate than DeSantis’. As a lawmaker, the 52-year-old former Miami hospital director worked on issues such as opioid addiction, protecting hospital doctors from lawsuits and allowing undocumented students to pay their tuition in the state.

Yet as DeSantis’ No. 2, she enthusiastically defended all of his culture war issues. So if she takes the reins, we will have to see which version of Núñez chooses to govern.

Scott Maxwell is the metro columnist for the Orlando Sentinel.