Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is raising major concerns about a growing challenge for Republicans heading into next year’s crucial midterm elections. According to DeSantis, the GOP could face real setbacks if millions of President Donald Trump’s loyal voters decide to stay home when he isn’t on the ballot.
During an appearance on Fox & Friends, DeSantis said the Republican Party must confront a simple reality: President Trump brought in a historic wave of voters, many of whom are motivated by him personally.
“President Trump created a big pool of voters,” DeSantis said. “But some of them are unique to him. They’ll turn out for Trump, and they’ll vote Republican when he’s running. But if he’s not on the ballot, some of them don’t vote.”
DeSantis said this issue shows up every midterm year, when turnout naturally dips and enthusiasm becomes the deciding factor.
“In an off-year midterm, the party in power gets complacent,” he said. “The party out of power gets fired up. That’s just the nature of midterms.”
The Florida governor warned Republicans not to assume that districts Trump carried in 2024 will automatically support GOP candidates again. The enthusiasm that drives Trump voters may not automatically transfer to other Republican candidates.
“You can overcome that,” he added, pointing to Florida’s massive conservative victories in 2022.
That year, DeSantis won re-election by 1.5 million votes, the largest margin in modern Florida history. Republicans flipped four Democrat-held House districts, securing 20 of the state’s 28 congressional seats. Sen. Marco Rubio also won decisively over Democrat Val Demings.
“We won because we delivered results,” DeSantis said. “We offered bold colors, not pale pastels. We took on the Left every single day and delivered big victories.”
DeSantis emphasized that conservative candidates can win — even in challenging turnout environments — if they run strong, results-driven campaigns that remind voters why Republican leadership matters.