Democratic group publishes 500-page DeSantis opposition research file

Donald Trump isn’t the only one treating Gov. Ron DeSantis like a candidate for president, even in the absence of the governor launching an official 2024 campaign.

The Democratic opposition research group American Bridge 21st Century this week published an online “book” on DeSantis. The site condenses thousands of pages of past statements, news articles, laws DeSantis has signed, votes he made in Congress and other information into more than 500 pages of “thematic documents,” according to the group.

In a sign of how national Democrats may portray a future DeSantis candidacy, American Bridge President Pat Dennis said the site “paints the picture of a MAGA extremist caught up in culture wars, unfit for office, and utterly unprepared for the public pressure that comes with a contentious Republican presidential primary.”

Neither DeSantis’ political spokesperson nor the Republican Party of Florida responded to emails seeking comment on the files.

Groups across the ideological spectrum digging up dirt on candidates is a time-honored, if less than idealistic, part of political campaigns. It is less typical, though, that research groups publish their entire files online rather than select pieces to use in negative ads or to tip off reporters covering the race.

DeSantis is the only person other than Trump, who was an incumbent president at the time, to whom American Bridge has given the “book” treatment.

“Our goal this cycle is to be prepared for every scenario so that we can quickly adjust to the GOP darling of the moment and define Republicans early and often,” Dennis said in an email. “At American Bridge, our candidate is chaos, and whoever emerges from the Republican presidential primary should be bruised and battered.”