Ron DeSantis: Kamala Harris a ‘terrible pick’ who could lose Florida for Democrats

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris watch fireworks during the fourth day of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Image via AP.

Gov. Ron DeSantis believes Election Day turnout will carry President Donald Trump over Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Florida in part because of the challenger’s running mate.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris has been the Governor’s recent target during rallies and appearances in support of the President. During his “Fox and Friends” spot Tuesday morning, he talked about the California Senator as one the President’s greatest boons.

“He’s been able to energize those folks because he’s done a good job, he’s spoken to their issues, but also the contrast when you have someone like a Kamala, who was a terrible pick for Biden for southern Florida,” DeSantis said.

Although election handicappers give Trump a worse chance this year than they did in 2016, both to take Florida and the White House, the Governor argued the President is in a better position now than he was four years ago.

Through vote-by-mail and early voting, 3.5 million Democrats have already voted. Republicans have significantly closed the gap, now with 3.4 million ballots cast.

That’s a smaller deficit than Republicans had in 2016, DeSantis said. And more Republicans have turned out than Democrats in the couple hours polls have been open Tuesday.

“I think you’re going to see a decisive Republican advantage today, and I just think it’s going to wipe out the very small advantage Democrats had going into Election Day,” he added.

Late Sunday, less than 48 hours before polls close, Trump appeared outside Miami for his sixth campaign event in the Sunshine State since beating COVID-19 in October. The crowd, largely made up of Cuban and Venezuelan American voters, showed the President’s newfound strength in the county, the Governor added, estimating it was 70% Hispanic.

“I can tell you, people down there are juiced,” he said. “Doesn’t mean he’s going to win the county, but he’s going to cut into that margin, and that’s tens of thousands, if not 100,000-vote swing to the President just because of his performance in Miami-Dade.”

Many Hispanic voters or their families have personally experienced Marxism and Leftism and Harris may turn them away from Democrats in the Governor’s mind. According to govtrack’s latest Senator scorecard, Harris ranks the most liberal in the Senate, even higher than Vermont independent and self-proclaimed democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders.

“When they see somebody like a Kamala Harris as the vice-presidential candidate, she’s more left wing than Bernie Sanders in the Senate,” DeSantis said. “That is something that really resonates with them and then pushes them towards the President.”

Added the Governor: “The President’s also been very strong against Maduro and against Raul Castro. Obviously, Biden would be much weaker in those.”

During a campaign stop in Miami-Dade County last week, Harris dodged concerns about Democrats losing ground in South Florida.

“We’ve seen in each of the events, for example, today, the kind of enthusiasm and turnout, not to mention the numbers of people who are voting across the board. So election night, I think, will determine who has come out, who hasn’t, and we can have that conversation then, but I’m feeling a great sense of enthusiasm,” she said.

With most Democrats choosing this year to submit ballots by mail and questions surrounding the certainty and possible court challenges to mailed ballots, Republicans have placed an emphasis on in-person voting. Republicans lead in early in-person voting and are expected to lead in Election Day turnout.

However, that might not be the case in Florida, where Trump has personally endorsed the state’s vote-by-mail system as an exception to his rule that mail ballots could be fraudulent.

The Governor offered voting advice to voters tuned into the network Tuesday morning.

“People in Florida have an opportunity,” DeSantis said. “Stay in that line, vote, your voice will matter, and I think it’s going to be a good Election Day for the President.”