Ron DeSantis speech to New Hampshire Republicans momentarily interrupted by protesters
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida’s address to the New Hampshire GOP’s annual fundraising dinner on Friday was momentarily interrupted a couple of minutes into his speech by a handful of female protesters.
The demonstrators, who appeared to chant “Jews Against DeSantis” made their way all the way to the podium at the sold-out event at a hotel ballroom in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city, before they were quickly removed by security.
DeSantis, remaking on the incident, told the audience to cheers and applause that “you’ve got to have a little spice in the speech. Right,” before quickly returning to his prepared remarks.
All guests attending the event, which is the state party’s top annual fundraiser, had to pass through a security sweep before entering the ballroom.
New Hampshire state party chairman Chris Ager told Fox News earlier on Friday that the fundraising dinner would bring in over $250,000, which Ager said is a “record.” And he noted that over 500 people would be in the audience, adding that “we had to close ticket sales earlier this week at 520 people.”
The trip is DeSantis’ first this cycle to New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary and second contest overall in the GOP presidential nominating calendar. The popular conservative governor from Florida has already stopped this year in Iowa (which holds caucuses kicking off the Republican schedule) and Nevada (which holds the fourth contest) and next week visits South Carolina (which votes third).
While DeSantis remains on the 2024 sidelines, he’s expected to launch a presidential campaign sometime after the end of Florida’s legislative session, which concludes next month. But behind the scenes, he’s already made plenty of moves toward launching a campaign, including beefing up staff in Tallahassee.
The governor didn’t mention his expected presidential campaign in his speech, other than to repeat his often used line that “I have only begun to fight.”
Florida’s governor, a former congressman, saw his popularity soar among conservatives across the country the past three years due to his forceful pushback against coronavirus pandemic restrictions and his aggressive actions as a conservative culture warrior going after media, corporations and teachers unions, touted his results in the Sunshine State during his speech.
“We’re leading the nation on a whole host of issues. We’re number one in the country.. for net-in migration… we’re number one in new business formations, one number in tourism. We’re number one in economic freedom… we’re number one in education freedom. We’re number one in parental involvement in education,” DeSantis touted. “We lead not merely with words but with deeds.”
And in a comment that elicited a very loud applause from the audience, the governor spotlighted his controversial push to ban classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida, asking “is wrong to tell a second-grader that they were born in the wrong body.”
Most public opinion polls in the burgeoning GOP presidential nomination race indicate DeSantis in second place, trailing only former President Donald Trump, with everyone else in field of actual and potential contenders in single digits.
Paul Steinhauser | Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ron-desantis-speech-new-hampshire-republicans-momentarily-interrupted-protesters
Ron DeSantis speech to New Hampshire Republicans momentarily interrupted by protesters
