DeSantis Travels Country to Campaign for Radical Election Deniers

While Floridians are feeling the heat from some of the highest housing and health care costs in the country, Ron DeSantis is spending his time campaigning across the country alongside some of the biggest election denialists running for office.

New reporting from Politico highlights how DeSantis “won’t say if 2020 was rigged” but is trying to “help candidates who have openly questioned President Joe Biden’s win,” — including GOP candidates for governor in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico.

While DeSantis “doesn’t like to talk about it,” the candidates he’s actively promoting have based their campaigns – like many other GOP candidates across the country – on touting conspiracy theories and undermining democracy:

• Doug Mastriano: Doug Mastriano led the effort to try to overturn the 2020 election in Pennsylvania, paying thousands to bus people – including at least one person who was arrested – to the Capitol on January 6th and bringing Rudy Guliani to testify in the PA State Senate. Mastriano has also said as governor he could decertify “every [voting] machine in the state with a stroke of a pen.”

• Kari Lake: Kari Lake has made disproven conspiracies about election fraud the centerpiece of her campaign. Lake also openly stated that President Biden, “lost the election and shouldn’t be in the White House.”

• Mark Ronchetti: Ronchetti was just caught accepting campaign donations from one of New Mexico’s fake electors who plotted to overturn the election. Ronchetti also refused to denounce extremist groups like the Proud Boys, The Oathkeepers, and the 3 Percenters. Instead, he agreed that the groups are unfairly criticized.

“Instead of addressing the problems that matter most to Floridians, Ron DeSantis is traveling the country to promote radical election-denying candidates,” said DGA Deputy Communications Director Sam Newton. “Ron DeSantis is the latest proof that there really is no difference between the Republicans running for governor this year when it comes to the Big Lie: they all actively promote, peddle or pander to the same dangerous lies that undermine our democracy. By rallying alongside the most extreme gubernatorial candidates running for office who openly tout conspiracy theories, Ron DeSantis is showing exactly the kind of radical agenda he supports.”