Election day has come and gone, but it wasn’t until almost three weeks after that Floridians found out who would be their next governor. As results poured in the night of the elections, it appeared that Ron Desantis, the Republican endorsed by President Trump, was the winner. His opponent, Andrew Gillum, conceded early the next morning. As more votes were counted,  it became apparent that the race was not so easily won. The margin between the two candidates was small enough to trigger an automatic recount. Gillum rescinded his concession. But as hopeful as Florida democrats were that the recount would be in their favor, the results showed that Desantis was the victor. On Nov. 17 Andrew Gillum again conceded, and Ron Desantis became governor-elect of Florida.

Ronald Dion Desantis is married to Casey Black and together they have two children. He has been in politics since 2013, when he was elected State Representative for Florida’s 6^th Congressional District. In 2015 Desantis intended to run for U.S. senate, but backed out when incumbent Marco Rubio announced he was running for reelection. Instead Desantis filed for reelection in the House of Representatives. He won this position.

In 2018 Desantis began his gubernatorial campaign. In August he won the primary elections, beating out the self-proclaimed “NRA sell-out” and supposed frontrunner Adam Putnam.  From the beginning he branded himself as a Trump acolyte. He ran a controversial television ad which showed him teaching his children to “build the wall” with blocks and dressing his newborn in a “Make America Great Again” onesie. He has stated that there are no issues on which he disagrees with President Trump.

Not surprisingly, Desantis takes a hard stance on immigration. He hopes to ban sanctuary cities. He opposes the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, but supports medical marijuana use. He opposes federal education programs, saying educational funding decisions should be left to the local level. Desantis is also against almost all proposed forms of gun control.

Ron Desantis’s platforms are almost indiscernible from President Trump’s. The only position that distinguishes him is his stance on Florida environmental issues. He advertises himself as a “Teddy Roosevelt-style Republican.” According to the Tampa Bay Times, restoring the Everglades and maintaining Florida’s environment in general are a priority to him. He plans to allow runoff from Lake Okeechobee to flow south into Florida Bay. He also pledges to study and find a solution for the red tide afflicting the Gulf Coast of the state.

Ron Desantis will take office as the Governor of Florida on Jan. 8, 2019, taking over for incumbent Rick Scott.