DeSantis Forced to Rethink Brand as He Leans on Biden After Hurricane Ian

The devastation caused by Hurricane Ian has forced Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to put politics aside and work with the Biden administration to deliver relief to hundreds of thousands of Floridians affected by what is shaping up to be the deadliest and costliest storm Florida has seen in decades.

Speaking at a joint press conference on Wednesday, DeSantis thanked Biden for his "quick action" in approving his request for disaster declaration and credited the administration for "basically set[ting] off the massive mobilization" of relief.

DeSantis' shift in tone is particularly striking given that just weeks before, the governor had become embroiled in a public feud with the White House after he flew a group of migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts in what the Biden administration dubbed a "political stunt."

However, disaster politics has put constraints on DeSantis' staunch opposition to the Democratic party and required him to work together with federal and local politicians even if they would normally be feuding.

"A lot of [DeSantis'] brand is based on real or manufactured conflicts with the national Democratic party," Gregory Koger, the chair of the political science department at the University of Miami, told Newsweek. "It goes against that brand to spend days, weeks, months, asking the Biden administration for help and then, welcoming the president to Florida."

There has long been an incentive for Republican governors to be adversarial to a Democratic White House, even in times of disasters.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie faced significant GOP backlash for welcoming former President Barack Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and former Republican Florida Governor Charlie Crist—who is running against DeSantis this year as a Democrat—has referred to his 2009 embrace with Obama "the hug that killed my Republican career."

For someone like DeSantis, whose brand is built on being combative to the Democrats and pitched towards a strong Republican base, Ian has handed the governor "an awkward path to tread," Koger said.

DeSantis has gained national prominence, and speculation of a possible 2024 presidential bid, by governing in stark opposition to the Democratic Party and for his commitment to small government—strategies that were highlighted in his response to the pandemic.

But relying on federal funds for disaster relief and participating in the process of obtaining aid from the Biden White House means DeSantis must work in contradiction to the brand he has cultivated.

"Disaster relief, by its very nature, is the federal government coming in and helping people in a time of need, and that cuts against the brand of the modern Republican Party, which says that get the federal government should not be spending money at all, and that in a free state of America, everybody for himself or herself," Koger said.

While Ian remains a crucial test for DeSantis, the governor could also come out on top for his willingness to work with Biden, despite their political differences.

Floridians, and the nation, could see DeSantis as an effective elected official for pausing partisan warfare to help his constituents and his response to the hurricane could help him gain the support of voters who were uncertain about him, Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said.

"These disasters might be one of the few times where people reward politicians for working together across the political divide," Rottinghaus told Newsweek. "Only the most hardened conservatives would blame DeSantis for working with a Democratic White House in a tragedy."

He said the collaboration between DeSantis and Biden could help both men mount a 2024 presidential campaign.

For Biden, working with DeSantis could help him in delivering his promise of unity, in an increasingly partisan landscape, while also letting him prove that his rhetoric about being a president for all Americans wasn't just for show.

Meanwhile, DeSantis' 2024 goal will be to present a real challenge to former President Donald Trump. Andrew Rudalevige, the chair of the department of government and legal studies at Bowdoin College, told Newsweek that the key to doing this is to make sure the primary field isn't divided 15 different ways.

"If DeSantis can scare off opponents with a big reelection win, which Biden's cooperation may help with, this is a plus for him," Rudalevige said.

Rottinghaus agreed, saying that the governor would need broader support from Republicans to win the 2024 nomination. He said that because a lot of these voters want to see "real policy progress that helps people," Ian has presented DeSantis with the perfect opportunity to demonstrate he can do this.