"PLEASE. BE MY GUEST." — Did Ron
DeSantis Really Beg Hakeem Jeffries to
Campaign in Florida?
Florida is thriving under strong Republican leadership, and Governor Ron DeSantis just delivered a perfect reminder of why Democrats are struggling there. When Hakeem Jeffries threatened “maximum warfare” over fair redistricting, DeSantis fired back by inviting him to campaign in the Sunshine State—offering to even cover the costs and host him at the governor’s mansion.
Voter trends show Florida moving decisively to the right, with Republican registration edges and policies that deliver results for families and businesses. Special election wins for Democrats are outliers in a state that’s rejected liberal agendas time and again.
Jeffries and his party should take the hint: their outdated attacks won’t flip the map. Floridians are choosing freedom and prosperity over failed progressive experiments. Yes, he said it — almost word for word — and he wasn't begging. He was trolling.
The Republican Army post is from this week, and it's accurate on the quote. On Tuesday, April 22, 2026, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries' threat over redistricting by inviting him to Florida — and offering to pay for the trip.
DeSantis at a press conference in Tallahassee:
"Please. Be my guest. I will pay for you to come down to Florida to campaign. I'll put you up in the Florida governor's mansion. We will take you fishing."
"There's nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Jeffries everywhere around this state."
The New York Post and Fox News both confirmed the line on April 22.
Why Jeffries "threatened" FloridaThis is the next front in the national redistricting war I wrote about for Virginia.
On Wednesday morning, April 22, Jeffries stood with DCCC chair Suzan DelBene and said:
"Our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out. If they go down the road of a DeSantis dummy-mander... the electoral tide is turning in Florida."
Jeffries was reacting to DeSantis calling a special legislative session for April 28 to redraw Florida's congressional map mid-decade.
Background:
Florida currently is 20 Republicans, 8 Democrats (28 seats total)DeSantis already drew an aggressive map in 2022 that the Florida Supreme Court upheld in 2024, wiping out two Black Democratic districtsNow, with Trump pushing states to add GOP seats before 2026, DeSantis wants to go further — targeting the remaining 8 Democratic seats, especially in Orlando, Tampa, and South FloridaJeffries' argument: "Texas Republicans are on the run right now... Under no circumstances are Texas Republicans picking up five seats. They'll be fortunate if they get two or three, while in California, we are going to get all five."
In other words: Democrats will counter-gerrymander in blue states (California, New York, Illinois) to cancel out Florida and Texas.
Why DeSantis wants Jeffries in FloridaDeSantis isn't being hospitable — he's making a 2024-era calculation:
Jeffries is toxic in Florida. A Brooklyn Democrat who supports gun control, abortion rights, and (in DeSantis' framing) "woke" policies polls at 31% favorability in Florida, according to a UNF poll March 2026. DeSantis won re-election in 2022 by 19 points by running against "New York liberalism."The governor's mansion line is a callback. In 2022, DeSantis flew migrants to Martha's Vineyard and offered to put reporters up in the mansion. It's his brand of performative hospitality.Redistricting is popular with his base. Florida's constitution bans partisan gerrymandering, but DeSantis argues population shifts since 2020 justify a new map. By daring Jeffries to come, he frames opposition as outside interference.As he put it: "There's nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Jeffries everywhere around this state."
Is DeSantis "begging"?No. The post's "LMAO!... BEGGING" is spin. The tone in the video is mocking, not pleading. He was smiling, doing the finger-point he uses at pressers.
This is classic DeSantis 2026 strategy: after dropping out of the presidential race in January 2024 and spending two years rebuilding in Florida, he's leaning into culture-war fights to stay relevant for 2028. The redistricting special session lets him:
Help Trump secure the House (Trump needs +3 seats nationally to keep the majority)Pick a fight with a national DemocratDistract from a fight with his own legislature over property taxesWhat happens nextApril 28 special session: Florida House and Senate will unveil maps. Leaks suggest they'll crack Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost's Orlando seat and Rep. Jared Moskowitz's Parkland seat.Lawsuits immediately. Florida's constitution forbids maps "drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party." The same provision killed DeSantis' first map in lower courts in 2022 before the Florida Supreme Court reversed.Jeffries probably won't take the fishing trip. But the DCCC has already reserved $8 million in Florida for 2026, according to Punchbowl News, specifically to sue over the map.Bottom lineDid Ron DeSantis say "Please. Be my guest. I will pay you to come campaign! I'll put you up in the Florida governor's mansion"? Yes, on April 22, 2026, in direct response to Hakeem Jeffries' "F around and find out" threat over redistricting.
Was he begging? No — he was taunting. In Florida politics, inviting a New York Democrat to campaign is like inviting a rival team's mascot into your locker room. DeSantis wants the video of Jeffries in Miami for his 2026 ads.
The post gets the quote right but the power dynamic wrong. This isn't DeSantis scared of redistricting backlash. This is DeSantis using Jeffries as a foil to sell a new gerrymander to Florida voters — and daring Democrats to make him famous for it.
Voter trends show Florida moving decisively to the right, with Republican registration edges and policies that deliver results for families and businesses. Special election wins for Democrats are outliers in a state that’s rejected liberal agendas time and again.
Jeffries and his party should take the hint: their outdated attacks won’t flip the map. Floridians are choosing freedom and prosperity over failed progressive experiments. Yes, he said it — almost word for word — and he wasn't begging. He was trolling.
The Republican Army post is from this week, and it's accurate on the quote. On Tuesday, April 22, 2026, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries' threat over redistricting by inviting him to Florida — and offering to pay for the trip.
DeSantis at a press conference in Tallahassee:
"Please. Be my guest. I will pay for you to come down to Florida to campaign. I'll put you up in the Florida governor's mansion. We will take you fishing."
"There's nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Jeffries everywhere around this state."
The New York Post and Fox News both confirmed the line on April 22.
Why Jeffries "threatened" FloridaThis is the next front in the national redistricting war I wrote about for Virginia.
On Wednesday morning, April 22, Jeffries stood with DCCC chair Suzan DelBene and said:
"Our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out. If they go down the road of a DeSantis dummy-mander... the electoral tide is turning in Florida."
Jeffries was reacting to DeSantis calling a special legislative session for April 28 to redraw Florida's congressional map mid-decade.
Background:
Florida currently is 20 Republicans, 8 Democrats (28 seats total)DeSantis already drew an aggressive map in 2022 that the Florida Supreme Court upheld in 2024, wiping out two Black Democratic districtsNow, with Trump pushing states to add GOP seats before 2026, DeSantis wants to go further — targeting the remaining 8 Democratic seats, especially in Orlando, Tampa, and South FloridaJeffries' argument: "Texas Republicans are on the run right now... Under no circumstances are Texas Republicans picking up five seats. They'll be fortunate if they get two or three, while in California, we are going to get all five."
In other words: Democrats will counter-gerrymander in blue states (California, New York, Illinois) to cancel out Florida and Texas.
Why DeSantis wants Jeffries in FloridaDeSantis isn't being hospitable — he's making a 2024-era calculation:
Jeffries is toxic in Florida. A Brooklyn Democrat who supports gun control, abortion rights, and (in DeSantis' framing) "woke" policies polls at 31% favorability in Florida, according to a UNF poll March 2026. DeSantis won re-election in 2022 by 19 points by running against "New York liberalism."The governor's mansion line is a callback. In 2022, DeSantis flew migrants to Martha's Vineyard and offered to put reporters up in the mansion. It's his brand of performative hospitality.Redistricting is popular with his base. Florida's constitution bans partisan gerrymandering, but DeSantis argues population shifts since 2020 justify a new map. By daring Jeffries to come, he frames opposition as outside interference.As he put it: "There's nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Jeffries everywhere around this state."
Is DeSantis "begging"?No. The post's "LMAO!... BEGGING" is spin. The tone in the video is mocking, not pleading. He was smiling, doing the finger-point he uses at pressers.
This is classic DeSantis 2026 strategy: after dropping out of the presidential race in January 2024 and spending two years rebuilding in Florida, he's leaning into culture-war fights to stay relevant for 2028. The redistricting special session lets him:
Help Trump secure the House (Trump needs +3 seats nationally to keep the majority)Pick a fight with a national DemocratDistract from a fight with his own legislature over property taxesWhat happens nextApril 28 special session: Florida House and Senate will unveil maps. Leaks suggest they'll crack Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost's Orlando seat and Rep. Jared Moskowitz's Parkland seat.Lawsuits immediately. Florida's constitution forbids maps "drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party." The same provision killed DeSantis' first map in lower courts in 2022 before the Florida Supreme Court reversed.Jeffries probably won't take the fishing trip. But the DCCC has already reserved $8 million in Florida for 2026, according to Punchbowl News, specifically to sue over the map.Bottom lineDid Ron DeSantis say "Please. Be my guest. I will pay you to come campaign! I'll put you up in the Florida governor's mansion"? Yes, on April 22, 2026, in direct response to Hakeem Jeffries' "F around and find out" threat over redistricting.
Was he begging? No — he was taunting. In Florida politics, inviting a New York Democrat to campaign is like inviting a rival team's mascot into your locker room. DeSantis wants the video of Jeffries in Miami for his 2026 ads.
The post gets the quote right but the power dynamic wrong. This isn't DeSantis scared of redistricting backlash. This is DeSantis using Jeffries as a foil to sell a new gerrymander to Florida voters — and daring Democrats to make him famous for it.
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire