Bring hurricane relief items to campaign stops, Ron DeSantis asks

Republican gubernatorial nominee Ron DeSantis isn’t leaving the campaign trail despite Hurricane Michael approaching the Panhandle.

However, he will be using his upcoming events on the peninsula to marshal supplies from supporters for the storm-impacted, as the barometer drops and the October Surprise of this campaign becomes ever more imminent.

At events in Tampa on Tuesday, as well as Jacksonville and Orlando Wednesday, DeSantis will be collecting supplies at what are being billed as “regional veterans’ events” by the campaign.

“The DeSantis Regional Veterans Events will be refocused to also collect supplies, including toiletries, food, batteries, and more, in order to assist those Floridians impacted by the storm,” the campaign asserted Tuesday.

The DeSantis campaign/hurricane relief swing comes at a time when his opponent, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, will be under scrutiny for management of the city during the storm and its aftermath.

#HurricaneMichael continues its approach towards #Tallahassee as a major hurricane. Please do not delay in making preparations. The City is coordinating resources & prepared to respond. Info including service impacts available at https://t.co/YcOv6WSfu9 & @COTNews. #MichaelTLH

— Mayor John E. Dailey (@MayorOfTLH) October 8, 2018

Hurricane Hermine of 2016 has proven fateful for Gillum. Ads on the air have spotlighted Tallahassee’s delay in using non-union power restoration resources, as part of a portfolio of attacks on Gillum’s mayoralty.

In 2016, as power restoration delays mounted, the candidate admitted that “I know we made mistakes — I can’t name them all right now — but we’re working really, really hard.”

Gillum will be under a national spotlight. And Ron DeSantis will be waiting in the wings to establish contrast.