Washington DC – Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is promising to bring his “Florida blueprint” of conservative policymaking to the federal government as he seeks his party’s presidential nomination for 2024.
That “blueprint” has been in place since DeSantis took office in Florida in early 2019, with the governor using his power and the Republican majority in the legislature to push his hard-right agenda into laws.
DeSantis, who has emerged as former President Donald Trump’s most serious challenger in the Republican primaries, officially launched his presidential bid on Wednesday in a Twitter announcement plagued by glitches and technical difficulties.
But his campaign will certainly hope to shift the focus back to his perceived achievements in the Sunshine State.
Here, Al Jazeera looks at five key right-wing policies that helped DeSantis cement his status in conservative US politics.
The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill
Last year, DeSantis signed a bill restricting discussions of sexuality and gender identity in Florida schools.
Dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the legislation has sparked outrage from liberal advocates who argue that the restrictions could demean and harm young students who identify as LGBTQ+.
“Teaching in the classroom by school personnel or third parties about sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or appropriate for students according to standards. of the state,” the legislation reads.
The bill allows parents to bring lawsuits against school districts if they think the law has been violated.
It also requires school officials to notify parents “if there is a change in services or monitoring of the student related to the mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being of the student”.
In April, the Florida Board of Education expanded the law to apply to all grades, not just elementary school children.
Conservatives claim it’s part of a broader push to give parents more say in their children’s education, especially when it comes to issues of sexuality and gender identity.
The law – whose official name is Parents’ Rights to Education – drew criticism from Walt Disney Company executives, prompting DeSantis to act to remove the company’s status as a special tax district .
That move against Disney has turned into a highly publicized, protracted legal and political battle that has drawn more praise from conservatives who see many corporations increasingly embracing liberal social issues.
Ban on abortion
Last month, DeSantis approved one of the nation’s strictest abortion bans — Florida outlawed the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy. It followed the 15-week ban he signed into law a year later.
Abortion restrictions are another key issue for conservatives who see the push as a call to protect the life of the “unborn”. Liberals, however, say the abortion ban violates women’s bodily autonomy and rights to privacy and health care.
The law has been criticized by rights groups who argue that many women do not know they are pregnant for six weeks.
“Signing this bill is an egregious government intrusion into people’s personal lives. Floridians, not politicians, should have the freedom to decide what’s best for ourselves, our families, and our future,” the Florida chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a statement after the bill was signed.
But DeSantis said he is “proud to support life and family” in Florida.
Even Trump, who often prided himself on appointing three conservative justices to the US Supreme Court – which led to the repeal of the constitutional right to abortion, suggested that the six-week ban would be “too extreme” .
Anti-immigration bill
Earlier in May, DeSantis signed a bill that his office called “the strongest anti-illegal immigration legislation in the country,” requiring companies with more than 25 employees to implement a system that ensures that their workers are not undocumented.
The law also prohibits Florida municipalities from issuing identification cards to people without regular status.
In addition, the law requires “hospitals to collect and submit data on the costs of providing health care” to undocumented immigrants.
The bill, which came two weeks before DeSantis announced his presidential run, drew Republican ire over the surge in migrants arriving and seeking asylum at the US southern border.
Last year, DeSantis joined other Republican state leaders in funding the relocation of asylum seekers to more liberal areas of the country. He chartered two flights to transport dozens of migrants and asylum seekers from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, an affluent community in the northeastern state of Massachusetts.
The move sparked outrage and questions about the legality of the move. The White House of Democratic President Joe Biden criticized the incident at the time as violent “political theater”.
Targeting diversity programs
Earlier this month, DeSantis signed a bill to block federal and state funding of programs aimed at ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at public universities, fueling a conservative push against such initiatives.
He criticized the DEI programs as part of a “recent” push to impose an “ideological agenda” on educational institutions.
“DEI is better seen as standing for discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination. And that has no place in our public institutions,” DeSantis said.
The legislation bans instruction that teaches “identity politics” or “theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in United States institutions and are designed to perpetuate social, political, and economic inequality.” fair”.
In the past few years, many US universities have embraced DEI programs and training to strengthen the diversity of their ranks and better meet the needs of minority students and faculty.
Democratic state lawmaker Anna Eskamani called the legislation “harmful”, saying it “restricts academic freedom and injects conservative political orthodoxy into the classroom”.
Relaxing gun regulations
Despite recent mass shootings and rising gun violence across the country, DeSantis signed a law in April to relax Florida’s gun regulations.
The legislation makes it legal for people to carry firearms without a permit from the state. “Constitutional Carry is on the books,” DeSantis said in a brief statement at the time.
Gun restrictions are at the root of the ideological divide between Republicans and Democrats.
Democrats are calling for stricter regulations to stop gun violence, while many Republicans see gun ownership as a non-negotiable right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution. in the US.
The White House criticized Florida’s law, calling it “shameful”.
“This is the opposite of commonsense gun safety. The people of Florida — who have paid a high price for the state and Congress to take no action on guns from Parkland to Pulse Nightclub to Pine Hills — deserve more you’re good,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement at the time, referring to the previous mass shooting in Florida.
