A.G. Gancarski
Florida’s Surgeon General will be outside the state later this month, stumping on behalf of the Governor’s presidential campaign.
Joseph Ladapo will be in the U.S. Virgin Islands, appearing at Republican Party receptions Dec. 17 on St. Thomas and Dec. 18 on St. Croix to aid Ron DeSantis’ campaign for the party’s nomination.
Not to be outdone, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds will be at the same events on behalf of former President Donald Trump.
The Virgin Islands hold caucuses on Feb. 8, with nine delegates at stake via ranked choice voting, meaning that the gains a given campaign can get are modest. But given the early placement of the Virgin Islands vote in the calendar, the territorial vote has outsized implications for the narrative of the campaign.
The Florida Governor virtually campaigned in the Virgin Islands already. DeSantis made light of the territory’s current inability to vote in Presidential Elections by joking about them being potentially too Democratic for GOP electoral hopes.
“How would the Virgin Islands vote for President — would they be red or blue?” DeSantis asked, as reported by the local St. Thomas Source. “I don’t want to pony up free electoral votes for the other team.”
Independent Sen. Alma Francis-Heyliger asked the Republican presidential candidate about not being able to vote in the Presidential General Election, describing the disenfranchisement as being “almost like you’re in a different class of citizen, even though we are citizens of America.”
Told by the Senator that three of the five territories are Republican, DeSantis then offered an answer, essentially telling the group on the call not to get their hopes up.
“Obviously I think that we have these territories, people are Americans, and they should be treated as equal citizens. How that works with the Electoral College, I’m not sure that there’s going to be necessarily a movement on that front, but I do think just generally speaking, the more equal the better,” DeSantis said, dodging the question.
Meanwhile, though this is Ladapo’s first solo campaign swing for DeSantis, he has been on the trail with the Governor, with a co-appearance at a “medical freedom” town hall in New Hampshire.
The Surgeon General described DeSantis as “willing to do what he believed is right despite the opposition.” He also lauded DeSantis’ “amicability” and his “free-flowing love and care about other people,” continuing his habit of glowing language for the Governor who hired him.
17 comments
Joe
December 12, 2023 at 10:56 am
Let him and his propaganda and misinformation stay there for good!
Elmo
December 12, 2023 at 11:07 am
Quack
Michael K
December 12, 2023 at 11:11 am
He’s paid well for doing nothing but licking the DeSanti high heel boots. The Virgin Islands! Tough assignment.
JD
December 12, 2023 at 12:01 pm
Lapado and Donalds?
A Desantis sycophant charlatan
And Trump’s pot dealer and amateur banker fraudster.
Gross.
Cultivate some respectable members, Republicans. F@ck, even Gillum was a step up.
tom palmer
December 12, 2023 at 1:09 pm
Seems like a safe distance.
Edward T
December 12, 2023 at 1:24 pm
Smart move. While USVI can’t vote in the general election, all of the territories count for the nomination. You need just a plurality of delegates in 5 states or territories to be eligible for nomination at the GOP national convention. So DeSantis is clearly trying to hit low-hanging fruit to stay in the race and take the fight to the convention assuming that Trump is convicted and sent to prison by the time of convention. Alternatively, if DeSantis wins Iowa, finished second or third in NH and then wins the Virgin Islands, he’s taken 2 out of the 3 early contests. Nobody is playing in Nevada because it’s been rigged for Trump.
rick whitaker
December 12, 2023 at 1:43 pm
sounds like ladapo found a way to get a free vacation on the backs of florida tax payers
JD
December 12, 2023 at 1:53 pm
His job is a vacation on the backs of FL taxpayers.
Almost a 1/2 a Million for doing nothing and not even living near the campus?
F@ck him. F@ck Desantis!
FRD! FRD flags coming soon.
No Consequences In Florida
December 12, 2023 at 3:32 pm
There’s no income “taxes” in Florida; whatever do you mean?
Michael K
December 12, 2023 at 3:52 pm
We ALL pay Florida taxes. Very high property tax, sales tax, cable TV tax – EVERYTHING is taxed, and it’s a very regressive system, where the poor pay more than the rich. That’s how Florida rolls. If you don’t think you pay any state taxes, I’ve got land next to the Everglades to sell you.
MH/Duuuval
December 12, 2023 at 2:39 pm
Be sure to cover these events in person, AG.
Al cat
December 12, 2023 at 3:17 pm
Biden should not win automatically
He is the worse president in history
rick whitaker
December 12, 2023 at 3:29 pm
al cat, how could you say something so crazy?
No Consequences In Florida
December 12, 2023 at 3:34 pm
The word you meant to use is ‘worst’ not “worse” and of course both are incorrect.
Enjoy the $2.99 gas.
tom palmer
December 12, 2023 at 5:20 pm
It is $2.63 in my city
Ronald Pickard
December 13, 2023 at 6:15 am
My name is Ron Pickard a local radio talk show host here in the Virgin Islands. Here what I have to say about Ladapo and Donalds on their visit here to the Virgin Islands on Radio 1000 AM. My show is every Friday from 7-9:00am. If you have sensitive skin don’t turn your radio on. I talk about political issue and more. We Virgin Islanders will not tolerate another Jeffery Epstein. We need a President that will help us fight against human sex trafficking, our corrupted Democratic Governor and some Democratic Senators who have been implicated in Epstein scandal and national media attention that will expose the highest level of misappropriation in our public funds.
MH/Duuuval
December 13, 2023 at 11:48 am
Epstein was a bi-partisan pervert with friends and fans centered among the very wealthy. I assume you don’t want to offend them, or you would’t try to make something political of this scandal.
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