Guess Which State Is #1 In Higher Ed and Economy?

The answer is too easy. It is, of course, Florida. 

There is a reason why I was an avid supporter of Governor DeSantis in the primaries, and why I resented the MAGA attacks aimed at him when he was running against President Trump. 

Ron DeSantis is awesome, and even if you think Donald Trump is awesomer, that is no reason to trash genuinely good people. The competition didn’t hurt Trump, and I was actually repelled by many of the puerile attacks against him and Casey. 

That’s all water under the bridge, over the dam, or whatever metaphor you choose to say that the controversy is in the rear-view mirror. Now is the time to look forward, and to reward conservatives who are kicking butt outside the Beltway. DeSantis was a good soldier during the election, and I hope he gets rewarded for it. 

Florida is once again #1 in higher education (for the 9th year in a row) and #1 in economy (for the 2nd year in a row) as ranked by U.S. News and World Report.

And, in light of these and other achievements, Florida climbed three spots in Best State rankings from last year.… pic.twitter.com/0DKeFVKG2h

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 6, 2025

Florida used to be the ultimate swing state. Large, pretty evenly divided, and filled with people who couldn’t enthusiastically embrace either party. It elected people like Charlie Crist, who was an oily snake-in-the-grass, and nobody expected a dramatic short-term shift in the politics of the state. 

DeSantis barely squeaked through in the 2018 gubernatorial election, winning by about 30,000 out of 8.2 million votes. If he were a normal politician who triangulated to stay safe, he would have been one of the more vulnerable incumbents seeking reelection. 

🚨🚨WATCH🚨🚨

The Tribal Chief @GovRonDeSantis celebrates Florida being NUMBER 1 in Economy and NUMBER 1 in higher education.

Plays his greatest hit: Keeping Florida free during COVID. He saved not only Florida, but the whole country. pic.twitter.com/dUNhRO8D6G

— DeSantis Appreciation Society (@KickboxerEsq) May 6, 2025

But Ron DeSantis is anything but a normal political animal who triangulates to stay safe. He is smart, decisive, and isn’t moved by political winds. Not only that, he is remarkably competent, which seems to be a rarity these days. Or perhaps ever, in politics. 

During COVID, as governor after governor chose to “follow the [fake] science,” DeSantis reached out to actual scientists and epidemiologists to get good advice. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya was one of his key advisors, for instance, and as a result of his relentless curiosity and commitment to doing what is right instead of what the establishment told him was the “safe” thing to do, he crushed it while others utterly failed. 

Time and again, DeSantis broke the mold, reshaping a broken electoral system that couldn’t get results in a reasonable time and making it one of the most efficient in the country. When disasters strike, he gets results. 

He has created, in his own and others’ words, the “Free State of Florida,” and people are flocking there. As much as I would like to credit ideology, it is DeSantis’ sheer competence that gives him the room to pursue conservative ends. He takes care of business first, then fights the ideological battles using the political capital he stores up by running the state well. 

The results are incredible, and I would move to Florida if it weren’t so darn humid. 

DeSantis should do something about that.