Politics
Ron DeSantis, RFK battle for distant second place in 2028 California Primary poll
Gov. Ron DeSantis spent much of this week in the Golden State, but he’s not bringing home any gold medals from California Republicans when it comes to his presidential prospects.
A survey from Emerson College shows DeSantis with 9% support, putting him behind Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s 10% and Vice President JD Vance’s 40%.
Meanwhile, 16% of California Republicans are undecided.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with 4% support, is the only other Florida man to feature in these numbers.
Vance has dominated virtually all polls of the still embryonic field of potential candidates to succeed President Donald Trump, so there’s no anomaly here in what would be a winner-take-all race for 169 delegates.
For his part, DeSantis has courted controversy among Californians for years, offering memorable denunciations of the state’s approach to illegal immigration and homelessness.
When he was running for President in 2023 and early 2024, DeSantis often established contrasts with California, criticizing its approach to protecting pregnant pigs when wooing Iowa farmer votes, and calling Los Angeles a “disaster zone.”
“When people are telling me that when they go shopping, they take off their jewelry because they don’t want to get mugged, even in nice places in L.A., that’s a huge, huge problem,” DeSantis said in Long Beach.
He also suggested that players on the University of Miami football team were powerless in the face of pot plumes during a road game at California-Berkeley.
“Some of these guys are telling me like they practically got high just from being in the stadium, that literally the whole stadium just reeks of marijuana,” DeSantis said during remarks targeting a cannabis legalization amendment last year.
He also has routinely carped about crap on the streets of a particular major city.
“We’re here in the once great city of San Francisco,” he said during a campaign video. “We came in here, and we saw people defecating on the street. We saw people using heroin. We saw people smoking crack cocaine.”
To prove his point, DeSantis produced a “poop map” of San Francisco during a debate with Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2023.
The Governor’s immigration policy was also condemned by the Salinas City Council ahead of a fundraising event in the city.
If there is any solace to be found in the current polling for DeSantis, he’s at least doing marginally better than he did in some polls when he ran for President in 2023 and 2024, where he had as little as 6% support.
For this poll, 221 California Republicans were polled on Aug. 4 and 5, with a credibility interval of 6.6 percentage points.
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The horrific shooting in Australia that claimed at least 16 lives during a Hanukkah celebration has prompted an expression of sympathy from Florida lawmakers.
The Florida Jewish Legislative Caucus issued a statement of condemnation of the violence during the Jewish observance on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. The Caucus published its statement Sunday afternoon.
“The Florida Legislative Jewish Caucus unequivocally condemns the horrific and senseless killing that occurred during Hanukkah in Australia. An act of violence against Jews celebrating their faith is an attack not only on a single community, but on the fundamental values of freedom, religious liberty, and human dignity,” the Florida Legislative Caucus said in a news release.
“We stand in unwavering solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters in Australia, with the victims’ families, and with Jewish communities around the world who are once again forced to confront hatred simply for being who they are. The State of Florida’s Jewish legislators join in mourning, remembrance, and resolve.”
The Florida LegislativeJewish Caucus has a dozen members from the House of Representatives and two State Senators.
Hundreds of people had gathered Sunday at the beach for an event to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah, when gunmen opened fire. At least 38 others were injured in the attack.
New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park said the death toll had risen from 12 to 16 overnight, including a 12-year-old child. Three other children are being treated in hospital, he said.
“This is absolutely horrendous for the community broadly, but particularly the Jewish community. … What we saw last night was the worst of humanity, but at the same time, the very best of humanity,” Park said.
The massacre at one of Australia’s most popular beaches followed a wave of antisemitic attacks that have roiled the country over the past year, although the authorities didn’t suggest those and Sunday’s shooting were connected. It is the deadliest shooting in almost three decades in a country with strict gun control laws.
One gunman was fatally shot by police and the second was arrested and in critical condition, authorities said. Police said one gunman was known to security services, but there was no specific threat.
At least 29 people were confirmed wounded, including two police officers, said Mal Lanyon, police commissioner for New South Wales state, where Sydney is located.
“This attack was designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community,” New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said.
The violence erupted at the end of a summer day when thousands had flocked to Bondi Beach, including hundreds gathered for the Chanukah by the Sea event celebrating the start of the eight-day Hanukkah festival.
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Material from The Associated Press was used in this report with permission.
Behavioral health officials have a list of precautions for Floridians to deal with anxieities heading into Christmas and New Year’s Day.
While the holidays can bring a lot of comfort and joy, the can also be a stressful time and Florida’s health management entities are providing some helpful tips to deal with yuletide anxiety.
There are seven behavioral health managing entities in the state and all of them are aware that stress heading into Christmas and New Year’s Day can seem overwhelming at times. They’re advising balance may be one of the key elements in dealing with the holidays.
“The holidays are a time of joy, but they can also be a time of stress, sadness and triggering situations,” said Natalie Kelly, CEO of the Florida Association of Managing Entities. “Florida’s behavioral health Managing Entities remind Floridians that behavioral health services are available, even to those who are uninsured or underinsured.”
The state’s behavioral health professionals are also providing a list of tips to help come to grips with any holiday tension including:
— Get plenty of exercise. Exercising boosts your mood and combats depression.
— Limit alcohol intake. Alcohol is a depressant that can cause feelings of anxiety, sadness and depression.
— Set healthy boundaries and don’t overextend yourself. Setting realistic expectations can help reduce stress.
— Seek the help of a counselor for mental health needs. If you feel overwhelmed or the need to get help to address your feelings, contact a counselor.
— Call 2-1-1 if needed to connect with resources in your community.
— Call 9-8-8 if you or a loved one is having suicidal thoughts.
A mental-health treatment network has been established in the state for providers who deliver services to residents needing help. Those services extend to parents and children, veterans and the homeless.
Providers serve patients for not only mental health needs, but substance use, housing, transportation and employment help. Those managing entities are often overseen by community organizations and administrators and are accountable to state and federal funds.
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