Who is the Florida governor who could thwart a Trump return to the White House?

Republican Ron DeSantis has been re-elected governor of Florida – a victory that could set him up for a possible presidential run in 2024.

Mr DeSantis, 44, won office by less than half a percentage point four years ago, but comfortably defeated his Democratic challenger Charlie Crist in the midterm elections.

He once received the full endorsement of Donald Trump, but the former president has turned to criticising him and has warned him against a 2024 run for the White House.

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What is DeSantis known for?

Some Republican commentators and media outlets have called Mr DeSantis “Trump 2.0” and he appeals to hard-right conservatives.

His action over COVID attracted criticism as he resisted mask mandates and vaccination requirements.

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Florida was also one of the last states to go into lockdown – and did so for only 30 days.

There was a steep upward trajectory in COVID cases as Florida recorded thousands of deaths.

In April, Mr DeSantis approved a bill that bans elective abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a move described as “callous and barbaric” by his opponents but of which he says he was “proud”.

Mr DeSantis recently failed to commit to whether he would serve the full four-year term as Florida governor, fuelling speculation about his presidential ambitions.

During his time in office, he has signed a bill that bans discussions of gender identity or sexual orientation in primary schools.

Mr DeSantis has also faced scrutiny for supporting candidates who questioned the 2020 election results.

Could he thwart a Trump bid?

Mr DeSantis has drawn lots of similarities with Mr Trump and attracted his full endorsement for his 2018 Florida run.

This week, however, Mr Trump warned him that any 2024 presidential bid would harm the Republican Party.

Mr Trump told Fox News that Mr DeSantis would “be making a mistake” and the “base would not like it” and threatened to reveal “things about him” if he did run.

The comfortable success for Mr DeSantis in Florida overnight and his growing popularity in the Republican Party is being seen as a major threat to Mr Trump – who is widely expected to run in 2024 but has not yet announced his bid.

A recent poll of Floridians by Victory Insights on the next Republican presidential candidate found Mr Trump and Mr DeSantis at 50% each.

What is his background?

Mr DeSantis was born to Italian parents in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1978.

He studied history at Yale University before graduating with honours from Harvard Law School and later became a commissioned officer in the US Navy.

Upon his return to the US in 2008, Mr DeSantis, who is still in the US Navy Reserve, worked as a federal prosecutor for the US Department of Justice.

In 2012, he was elected to Congress as the US Representative for Florida’s sixth district.

Mr DeSantis was re-elected twice before securing the Republican nomination for governor in 2018 – succeeding Republican Rick Scott.

He is married to Emmy Award-winning television host Casey DeSantis.

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