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Energy was high as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made a campaign stop in Palm Beach County with only a day left before the midterm elections. Despite Subtropical Storm Nicole looming closer to Florida's east coast, the Republican governor urged voters to "storm the polls early" ahead of Nicole's anticipated arrival later this week.
Palm Beach County is in the projected path of Subtropical Storm Nicole. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects the storm to morph into hurricane strength before it makes landfall in the state, likely on Wednesday. The NHC warned of dangerous storm surges and hurricane conditions for much of the east coast of Florida. The storm comes not even six weeks after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the west coast of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, traveled across the peninsula, exited into the Atlantic Ocean and made a second landfall in South Carolina. Overall, Palm Beach County's damage was considered minor compared to the state's west coast damage, according to the Palm Beach Daily News.
"Will you also join with people all across this country to storm those polls so we can once and for all fire Nancy Pelosi?" DeSantis asked at his rally, referencing his hopes that Republicans will win the House. DeSantis himself is up for reelection this year for governor running against Democratic opponent Charlie Crist.
His request was then met with cheers, applause and whistles from the rally-goers.
DeSantis quelled worries that the storm would hinder voter turnout, and said the storm would "probably come after the election."
"We'll keep you posted on that," he added. "Tomorrow should be fine, no problem."
The NHC called Subtropical Storm Nicole a large storm with potential to cause damage outside of its cone of projection, affecting much of the Florida peninsula. Hurricane Ian, which struck in late September, was the first major hurricane DeSantis faced as governor, with many praising him for his leadership. Following Hurricane Ian's dreadful path that killed more than 100 people and caused an estimated $50 billion in damage, more than half of Americans approved of DeSantis' hurricane response in a poll from The Economist/YouGov America.
What the Polls Show
A poll from Victory-Insights conducted between October 30 and November 1 found DeSantis leading Crist 54 to 41 percent. The survey had a margin of error of 4.8 percent. In addition, the Republican governor is also leading his opponent by double digits in other polls, according to RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight.
DeSantis told rally-goers on Monday that they have no excuse for not voting, even if "something comes up" or they had a flat tire.
"I want to see 100 percent turnout from this crowd," he said.
When asked to provide comment, DeSantis' campaign referred Newsweek to the governor's Rumble page where the rally was live-streamed.
About the writer
Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather ... Read more