Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Florida’s economy is in good shape and voters can feel it, according to a Florida Chamber of Commerce poll.
More than half (53%) of Florida voters told pollster Cherry Communications that they believe the Florida economy is better off than other states while only 24% believe it is worse off than other states.
There is evidence the majority is right, the Chamber says. Florida’s rolling annual growth rate of 3.2% is a full percentage point higher than the national level and July’s 0.5% increase in jobs was five times the growth at the national level.
Meanwhile, Florida’s 2.7% jobless rate is lower than other large states, such as California (4.6%), Texas (4.1%) and New York (3.9%).
Voters aren’t as happy about the national economy. More than half (51%) of Florida voters said they think Biden’s economic policies have made the U.S. economy worse, while only 34% believe they have made it better.
Nearly nine out of 10 (86%) Republicans have a negative view of Biden’s economic policies. About a quarter (24%) of no-party voters and a third (31%) of Hispanic voters say Biden’s policies have improved the U.S. economy.
“Florida’s economic momentum continues to outpace the nation,” said Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson. “Thanks to the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative leaders like House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, recent legislative action reining in runaway litigation that drives up costs for Florida families and local businesses will pave the way for more competition and Florida’s continued growth.”
The Chamber poll was conducted on Aug. 9-19 by Cherry Communications using live telephone interviews of likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points. The sample size included 243 Democrats, 263 Republicans and 98 no-party voters for a total of 604 respondents statewide.
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DeSantis has received middling reviews for his debate performance, but he’s giving himself full marks.
“100% of my time was talking about our vision for the future and my accomplishments. And so there’s a lot of people up there that said a lot of things. I’m the only one that’s actually delivered on all these issues, whether it’s economy, whether it’s the crime, the border, you name it,” he said during an interview on the Brian Kilmeade Show.
DeSantis spent the rest of the interview reiterating his policy positions, including his proposals for the U.S.-Mexico border, which was one of his standout moments during the debate.
“You as Commander-in-Chief have a responsibility to fight back and to defend the people of this country. And you look at the body count now from the fentanyl that’s coming in, it’s over 100,000. People are overdosing on drugs, tens of thousands from fentanyl. We now have a collection around the country of what’s called angel moms, so these are mothers that have lost kids to fentanyl overdose,” he said.
“I’ve had a chance to meet with a lot of them. You know, these are kids that may take like a Xanax or something … but here’s the thing. That’s giving them the death penalty if it’s done with fentanyl. It’s going to stop when I’m president. We’re going to treat the cartels like the foreign terrorist organizations they are.”
Evening Reads
—“Post-debate poll shows Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron DeSantis winning” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—”The big question DeSantis couldn’t answer at the debate kind of says it all” via Jim Newell of Slate
—“Party of one” via Peter Wehner of The Atlantic
—”DeSantis’ education overhaul continues with bathroom rule at Florida state colleges” via Ana Goñi-Lessan, Finch Walker, Thao Nguyen, Steven Walker of USA Today Network-Florida
—”You’re not going to be President, DeSantis. But how about this great job offer?” via Roger Brown of Sarasora Herald-Tribune
—”DeSantis wonders if Vivek Ramaswamy comparing Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Pope went too far for Catholics” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—“2 winners and 3 losers from the first Republican debate” via Christian Paz of Vox
—”DeSantis gets mixed reviews from 1st GOP presidential debate” via Mitch Perry of the Florida Phoenix
Quote of the Day
“I’m actually going to be the one who’s going to get done. I doubt they are. I’m from the reddest district in the state. Everybody’s welcome on my bandwagon.”
— Rep. Joel Rudman, downplaying the connection between his bill and the Joe Biden administration’s move to ban no-compete contracts.
Bill Day’s latest
Breakthrough Insights
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
