Florida men are taking over the GOP

The old Republican Party is dead. And no state is more responsible for ushering it to its grave than Florida.

From Florida man Donald Trump’s presidential nomination comeback to Sen. Rick Scott’s just-announced dark horse bid for Senate GOP leader, Florida politicians are leading the charge to completely rid the GOP of its pre-Trump vestiges of “establishment” Republicans. And the state under Gov. Ron DeSantis has served as a blueprint for the new form of pugilistic Republican governance, from attacking “woke” corporations to outlandish stunts on immigration.

California was the launch pad for the Republican Party in the Nixon and Reagan eras, followed by Texas in the age of the Bushes and Tom DeLay. But now, Florida is shaping up to be the dominant force not only in the Republican Party, but in the nation’s politics more broadly for the foreseeable future.

“Florida is having its day, and it’s about time,” said former Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.). “Florida is coming into its own.”