Jacksonville, Florida – Country music star Luke Bryan Friday night appeared on stage at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena to “deafening” applause and cheers from attendees in the near full capacity 15,000 person venue.
Bryan’s concert was on the eve of the annual Georgia / Florida Weekend, before the University of Florida Gators and University of Georgia Bulldogs took the field earlier this afternoon.
The annual rivalry weekend brings nearly 100,000 people to the region, according to estimates by local governments and tourist boards.
Bryan’s upcoming show in Estero, Florida, which had to be rescheduled due to the damage of Hurricane Ian, will benefit the Florida Disaster Fund, which has raised $50million to date in private capital to help Floridians in need that are rebuilding their lives and small businesses in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
“Because of the hurricane they had to use the venue that I was performing in as a shelter. Well, we’ve been going back and forth, we didn’t know if it was too soon to play or not but the area of Estero said ‘get your ass to Estero.’ So, we’re doing a concert,” Bryan shared from the stage. “So, what we’re going to do is give a large portion of the proceeds in Estero, Florida… to everybody that’s bought tickets, kept the ticket, and spending the money… I’m donating that money to the great state of Florida.”
As Governor DeSantis came on stage, he tossed a handful of hats into the extremely excited crowd, giving homage to President Trump, who routinely does this at campaign rallies.
DeSantis has spent the past week crisscrossing the state of Florida to rally on behalf of Florida First candidates for public office and to especially to highlight candidates who immediately turned their focus to Hurricane Ian relief efforts in the weeks following.
Likewise, President Trump is traveling to Florida on November 6th for a GOTV rally, just two days before the mid-term elections. For months, the mainstream media, who have immense hatred for both President Trump and Ron DeSantis, have continually tried to pit the men against each other in a theoretical 2024 GOP primary for President of the United States.
Cory Mills, a combat veteran turned entrepreneur, who is running in Florida’s 7th congressional district that was vacated by Chinese Communist Party linked J6 Committee member Stephanie Murphy, is a former DOD appointee in the Trump administration and was recently endorsed by President Trump.
He was also highlighted by Governor DeSantis at a recent rally in Central Florida.
“The America First and Florida First movements remain committed to working hand-in-hand to getting America back on track, as well as keeping Florida free. I’m honored to stand with these two phenomenal leaders and do whatever we can to accomplish those goals,” Mills told this GP journalist.
Mills and DeSantis are projected to emerge victorious on November 8th, bolstered by an influx of newly registered Republicans in the state of Florida and recent numbers that show Republicans pacing ahead of Democrats in both early vote and mail-in-ballot returns, according to ABC Action News Tampa Bay.
“The red wave theme seems to be taking hold,” said Dr. Susan MacManus, USF Professor Emerita. “Not just in Florida, but across the country.”
MacManus said it comes as a second blow to Democrats. That’s after the GOP beat them in voter registrations this election cycle for the first time since at least 1972. The party exceeded its rivals by more than 300,000 voters. That “red wave” looking more and more likely.
To put things in perspective, some analysts projected just a few days ago that Republicans are leading Democrats in early voting and mail returns by 14,000 votes in 2022. In 2018, Democrats closed out early voting and mail returns going into election day with a 30,000+ margin.
However, since 2020, Democrats have gone from 5million registered voters to just 4.7 million, while Republicans have made significant gains, now claiming 5.26million registrants.
Governor DeSantis swift response to Hurricane Ian, his commitment to protecting children from filthy pornographic books and mutilation surgeries, the largest tax cut (and surplus) in state history, along with his quick wit and willingness to call out the mainstream media seems to be bearing fruit for Florida Republicans going into November 8th.