Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis turned 43 years old on Sept. 14, 2021, so in honor of his birthday, here are a few facts you may not know about America’s favorite governor.
DeSantis grew up in Dunedin, Fla., before pursuing a B.A. in History at Yale University where he became the captain of the school’s baseball team and earned the school’s best batting record. After graduating from Yale with honors, he attended Harvard Law School, where he again graduated with honors.
While he was still in law school at Harvard, DeSantis joined the U.S. Navy as a JAG officer, serving at the terrorist detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was later deplyed to Iraq as a legal advisor to a Navy SEAL commander. He earned a Bronze Star and the Iraq Campaign Medal.
DeSantis returned to the U.S. and served as a federal prosecutor in Florida. In 2010, he married his wife, Casey, with whom he later had three children, Madison, Mason, and Mamie.
In 2012, DeSantis declared his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives, running in Florida’s sixth congressional district. He won the six-candidate primary race before going on to win the general election in November.
After serving three terms in Congress, DeSantis announced his bid for the 2018 Florida gubernatorial race. President Donald Trump gave his endorsement to DeSantis in 2018. After winning the primary election, DeSantis faced off against Democrat Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.
Despite polling giving Gillum a comfortable advantage, DeSantis won an upset victory over his opponent, becoming the 46ht Governor of Florida. As governor, DeSantis made many notable accomplishments during his tenure.
Among many significant achievements, DeSantis ordered the restoration of the everglades and began a clean water initiative. Recently, he signed an election integrity bill aimed to prevent potential election fraud in Florida.
The governor is currently seeking to prevent Big Tech companies from engaging in political censorship, and announced on Tuesday he is working to eliminate common core from schools.
Gov. DeSantis refused to shut down Florida businesses in contrast to many blue states during the Covid-19 pandemic. He has also fought tooth-and-nail to prevent mask and vaccine mandates across the state.
