How much does the Hurricane hurt DeSantis’ chances of winning the Florida Governorship?

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The storm could also allow one of the candidates seeking to succeed Scott to show whether he can handle storms. Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum has been targeted by the state Republican party in recent days for his response to Hurricane Hermine in 2016, when the city suffered from lengthy power outages.

With his city squarely in Matthew’s expected path, Gillum, who is running against Republican U.S. Representative Ron DeSantis, will have a chance to change that narrative.

“It’s a double-edged sword for Gillum,” Coker said. “To the extent that it might remind people of Hermine, it probably doesn’t help him much.”

If he wins, Gillum would become Florida’s first black governor.

The two parties have already traded accusations of politicizing the hurricane.

On Tuesday, the state Democratic Party sued state officials, arguing that a limited one-day extension for some counties in the path of the storm should be lengthened to a full week for the entire state.

In response, state Republican Party Chairman Blaise Ingoglia called the lawsuit a “reprehensible” effort to give residents in Democratic areas hundreds of miles from the storm extra time to register.

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