Ron DeSantis says South Carolina, Florida share issue of ‘more traffic on the roads’

Gov. Ron DeSantis brought his Florida Blueprint book tour to the Palmetto State.

During a stop in North Charleston, he related to the receptive local crowd by noting both states suffered from increased traffic and road congestion over the years. He mentioned that Casey DeSantis graduated from the College of Charleston, and discussed visiting Mrs. DeSantis’ parents in Charleston.

“When we met, I was in the Navy. She was working in Northeast Florida. She was a TV reporter, but her parents lived in Mount Pleasant. We would come and visit a lot,” DeSantis said, noting that it was “almost 20 years” ago, but “every year we’d come back to visit.”

“I could see more traffic on the roads, more people. And honestly, it’s similar to what we’ve seen in Florida over the years with people coming down here,” DeSantis said, before launching into familiar stump remarks.

DeSantis has tried to work local call outs into his stump speeches, with the Governor gamely finding ways to relate to audiences outside the Sunshine State.

In the Granite State addressing the New Hampshire GOP at the Amos Tuck Dinner, the Governor suggested Floridians were not proud of the state before he arrived on the political scene.

“I was born and raised in Florida, and it’s only been recently that we’ve developed a sense of state pride ourselves,” DeSantis said. “We’re proud to have stood up for freedom in the last few years when it wasn’t easy. We did it our own way and I’m proud of that.”

“But I must admit we draw inspiration from the people here in New Hampshire,” DeSantis continued. “Because more than any other state, you don’t mince words when it comes to your stand on liberty. You say it very clearly: Live Free or Die.”

Continuing his recent commitment to swing state intersectionality, DeSantis told an Ohio crowd he was one of them.

The Governor, addressing the Butler County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner, said Thursday he represented so-called “Ohio values.”

“I can stand here representing Ohio values because the two most important women in my life (are from Ohio),” DeSantis said. “My mother is from Youngstown, and my wife is from Troy, and so my family reflects your family.”