Hope vs Hype Series: Political Fitness
Why Casey DeSantis Runs Circles Around Byron Donalds
There’s a moment in every great civilization where, having scaled the heights of excellence, the stewards of that glory are called to do something profoundly difficult: choose a worthy successor. And so we arrive at that moment in Florida—America’s New Byzantium, the citadel of competent conservative governance.
The choice? It’s forming in whispers now, but getting louder by the hour.
On one side stands Casey DeSantis—Florida’s First Lady not just in title but in consequence. A woman who has governed not behind the scenes, but within them. She built Hope Florida, delivered disaster relief faster than FEMA, raised record funding for cancer research, and put conservative philosophy into practice, not just speeches.
On the other side? Byron Donalds, a man who appears to believe that if you stand close enough to Trump for long enough, you might absorb qualifications through osmosis. A congressman with no significant state-level accomplishments, no original policy ideas, and—most importantly—no record of leadership when it counted.
This is not just a primary.
This is a referendum on what Florida conservatism means.
Hope vs. Hype. Principle vs. Performance. Competence vs. Cable News.
And if Casey DeSantis runs, it won’t just be a campaign—it’ll be a course correction.
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