WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Residents of Florida were largely spared a devastating blow from Hurricane Idalia this week, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also appeared to avoid the political peril that could have hurt his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
DeSantis faced a similar test this week when he suspended his campaign to oversee his state's response to Hurricane Idalia.
"The real work comes post-storm, and seeing what the damage is and how he reacts," Christian Ziegler, the head of the Florida Republican Party, told Reuters.
In the lead-up to the storm, DeSantis held several press conferences per day, always flanked by a bevy of emergency response officials.
On the other side, Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott touted his response to 2017's Hurricane Irma in a successful bid for U.S. Senate the following year.
Persons:
Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Hurricane Ian, Ian, Idalia, Donald Trump, Christian Ziegler, Joe Biden, Chip Roy, Ford O'Connell, Rick Scott, Irma, Barack Obama's, Sandy, Jeffrey Rumlin, Katrina, Gram Slattery, Ross Colvin, Andy Sullivan
Organizations:
Republican, Florida Republican Party, Reuters, Governors, Florida Republican, U.S, Senate, Thomson
Locations:
Florida, Idalia, New Orleans, Republican Florida, Jacksonville