{"id":12542,"date":"2023-09-16T13:39:49","date_gmt":"2023-09-16T13:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prosfunds.com\/politics\/desantis-leans-into-his-military-experience-to-set-himself-apart-in-crowded-2024-gop-field\/"},"modified":"2023-09-16T13:39:50","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T13:39:50","slug":"desantis-leans-into-his-military-experience-to-set-himself-apart-in-crowded-2024-gop-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prosfunds.com\/?p=12542","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis leans into his military experience to set himself apart in crowded 2024 GOP field"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-editable=\"content\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-reorderable=\"content\">\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_DCA80C10-0839-9703-E22E-9ACBAC290C5D@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      Nick Iarossi, a lobbyist and longtime supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis, approached the Florida Republican in July with a frank suggestion: Talk more about yourself.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_309E6AB5-097E-B4D1-0903-9ACD98633986@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      More specifically, talk more about your military service.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_A41968E5-F98C-618D-718A-9ACD9868C13F@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cI literally said, \u2018Why haven\u2019t you told anybody,\u2019\u201d Iarossi said. \u201cHe kind of laughed about it and said, \u2018Well, I don\u2019t like talking about myself.\u2019 That was his immediate reaction.\u201d\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_6EAA9741-076A-C314-5672-9ACD986D6D71@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cI said, \u2018Well, you need to talk about yourself because people need to know this, because this says a lot about you.\u2019\u201d\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_CC093120-7380-5423-4AEA-9ACD98712EB5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      DeSantis appears to have listened to Iarossi and other allies who have encouraged him to spend more time talking about his military service, a part of his biography they see as a key differentiator as he competes for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. On the campaign trail these days, DeSantis rarely leaves an event without letting potential voters know about his time in the military. He brought up his deployment to Iraq three times during the first GOP presidential primary debate. His service as a Navy JAG officer was featured in a summer ad that aired in Iowa and New Hampshire and nationally on Fox News and Newsmax.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_FA5C90E6-F81B-9D50-0366-9ACD98767650@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cI understand the importance of putting service above self,\u201d DeSantis said in an address Friday to the Concerned Women for America Summit in Washington, DC.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_006DBD4B-071A-EBAB-F17E-9ACD98AF42C8@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      In a crowded GOP primary field, DeSantis is the only veteran running. Like other parts of his biography \u2013 his young family, his middle class roots \u2013 his allies see his military background as something that separates him from the pack, especially the front-runner, former President Donald Trump, who received a draft deferment during the Vietnam War for bone spurs.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_E18B5D6B-47C6-37AB-F4C9-9ACD98B9AB2B@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      Other candidates can relate to the experience of being the family member of someone in the military. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley\u2019s husband has deployed with the National Guard and former Vice President Mike Pence\u2019s son is a Marine. President Joe Biden often talks about the service of his late son, Beau, who served in Afghanistan.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_53D712E5-C69D-E587-B9D6-9ACD98C209E1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      But only DeSantis has worn a uniform.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_6AEB965D-8744-17F5-66D7-9ACD98CBF730@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      Retired Capt. Dan Bean, who served as DeSantis\u2019 commander during the governor\u2019s time in the US Naval Reserves, said it\u2019s \u201cabsolutely critical that he talk about it now.\u201d\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_285AF951-F306-E033-4E52-9ACD98D467CF@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cI think if you\u2019re going to put the armed forces into danger, you need to understand what you\u2019re doing, you need to understand what you\u2019re asking them to do,\u201d said Bean, who has actively campaigned for DeSantis in the 2024 GOP primary. \u201cAnd so you\u2019re not asking someone to do something you haven\u2019t done yourself.\u201d\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_D1395C49-F5AD-A9A7-8C85-9ACD98DE7731@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      In a closed-door meeting with donors last month, top advisers to Never Back Down, a pro-DeSantis super PAC, acknowledged that many voters remained unaware of the Florida Republican\u2019s military background, according to audio of the remarks first reported by CNN.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_2CDEBE25-D722-C8AA-A9A5-9ACD98E800FF@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cWe feel like Americans are yearning for somebody that has military experience and somebody that would be shaped by that with the way they deal with foreign policy. And that\u2019s an incredible differentiation he has with the rest of the field,\u201d one source familiar with the campaign\u2019s thinking told CNN.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_85BB2ED4-1F6E-638C-BA0F-9ACD98F2D173@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      To that end, the DeSantis campaign and Never Back Down are leaning into that messaging, airing ads focused on the Florida governor\u2019s time as a JAG officer in the US Navy.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_488C1DB9-3FBD-D41D-C858-9ACD98F78C5A@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cWhen our country was under attack, Ron DeSantis fought back,\u201d a narrator in one campaign ad says, as footage of the September 11, 2001, attacks plays on screen. \u201cHe joined the Navy, became a JAG officer, volunteered to serve in Iraq, deployed with Navy Seal Team One and earned a bronze star.\u201d\n  <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subheader\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/paragraph_80316526-3B5C-66BF-9141-9ACDB6CA5DDE@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"desantis-served-in-guantanamo-bay-and-iraq\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n    DeSantis served in Guantanamo Bay and Iraq<br \/>\n<\/h2>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_BA570940-9328-CD7B-D159-9ACD990B9437@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      DeSantis was in Harvard Law School when he first considered joining the military as an alternative to a legal career in the private sector, he wrote in his recent autobiography, \u201cThe Courage to be Free.\u201d Recruiters recommended against enlistment, he said in his book, but floated the idea of joining a specialty program that combined a law degree with service. He ultimately earned a commission with the US Navy as a JAG officer.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_7E18CB56-660D-34A1-AE01-9ACD9915E785@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cOne recruiter told me that the assumption was that the Iraq campaign would be over relatively quickly, and that there would be a need for military JAGs to lead prosecutions in military commissions of incarcerated terrorists at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base,\u201d he wrote.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_E85505A4-5E82-EC4B-3173-9ACD991F3B9C@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      On the campaign trail, DeSantis says his decision was influenced by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. DeSantis had recently graduated from Yale University and was teaching history at a private boarding school in Rome, Georgia, when the World Trade Center towers fell.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_510A1A06-E69D-D5AD-DC56-9ACD9929B6AF@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cI was like, you know, as an American, I\u2019ve got to do my part however small,\u201d DeSantis told supporters at a campaign event in Gilbert, South Carolina, in June.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_7D7F5A88-A298-49C7-26C5-9ACD9933EA7D@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      DeSantis likened his early JAG career to the character played by Kevin Bacon in \u201cA Few Good Men.\u201d\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_03A8FB9F-6476-48C2-970B-9ACD993E0357@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cThough I never got to put anyone like Colonel Nathan R. Jessup (Jack Nicholson\u2019s character) on the stand,\u201d he wrote in his book.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_E5D033D9-9031-10A8-2323-9AD2D076D0F3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      Even as DeSantis speaks more frequently about his military service, much remains unknown about his time wearing the country\u2019s uniform. His military experience is covered in just a handful of pages of his book. Lately, he often leaves unmentioned that he was a JAG officer, telling crowds that he was deployed \u201calongside\u201d or \u201cattached to\u201d Navy SEALs in Iraq.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_41E4586D-3BD4-4DA3-F45F-9ACD99533487@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      The extent of his service is also masked by the inherent opacity that surrounds the military, particularly in the places he served. Most of what has been gleaned about his military record to date comes from a small batch of US Department of Defense service records, his book and details provided by his current and past campaigns.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_73D0BBDF-B4EB-476E-975E-9ACD995E4162@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      In 2006, DeSantis was stationed at the Joint Force Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility which held detainees in the War on Terror following the 9\/11 attacks. It was a part of his service record that he referenced regularly in his first race for US Congress in 2012 at a time when President Barack Obama faced persistent GOP criticism for his promise to close the controversial prison.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_4328E286-8502-1C24-6B70-9ACD99641B1D@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cWhile in the Navy, he supported operations at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, which is home to some of the world\u2019s most ruthless terrorists,\u201d DeSantis\u2019 first campaign website said.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_CFF566E1-8AF1-F057-A53D-9ACD99705ABC@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      In his recent book, though, DeSantis touches on that time in a single sentence, referring to it as a \u201ctemporary-duty-travel stints.\u201d\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_855DDC0C-CF4C-9391-FF34-9ACD997B3D63@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      Before launching his campaign for president, DeSantis faced questions about his role at Guantanamo Bay. He had a terse exchange during a news conference in Israel when asked whether he authorized the force-feeding of prisoners there, allegations he has firmly denied.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_2C35FB1F-8668-FAFC-7956-9ACD99864134@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cI was a junior officer. I didn\u2019t have authority to authorize anything,\u201d DeSantis told Piers Morgan in an interview earlier this year.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_339F73CA-08B9-B00B-F830-9ACD9992D2D6@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      In 2007, DeSantis deployed to Fallujah in Iraq, where he served alongside Seal Team One. The deployment came during the troop surge orchestrated under President George W. Bush. DeSantis wrote that his role was to \u201cprovide counsel\u201d to the SEAL commander about the rules of engagement on the battlefield. He said he saw his job was to help SEALs accomplish their mission, not impede them.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_410591F9-CA7D-B8CD-C69F-9ACD999869EB@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cI rejected the posture some judge advocates in the military take by simply trying to shoot down any proposed operations or reading the (rules of engagement) so broadly that it paralyzes individual operators,\u201d he wrote.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_59270A2A-C807-4099-2BFE-9ACD99A95700@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      Bean, DeSantis former commander, said these were often \u201clife and death decisions.\u201d\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_45B97475-4FC8-4763-D09A-9ACD99B09BB9@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cYou\u2019re talking about what the rules of engagement are, trying to keep your folks out of trouble,\u201d Bean said. \u201cTrying to keep your folks from getting killed.\u201d\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_B19AB2F0-B6F9-B4F6-C013-9ACD99BCD952@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      DeSantis returned to the United States in 2008 and served as a special assistant to the US attorney in the Middle District of Florida. He was honorably discharged from active duty in 2010 and served in the Naval Reserves until 2019, when he was sworn in as Florida\u2019s 46th governor.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_B0C8F7E7-8610-56C3-8CEA-9ACD99C82D06@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cIt was a great experience, and I had a lot of admiration for the Navy as an institution, but it felt like the right time,\u201d wrote of his decision to leave.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_E6A90BC6-61F8-52B7-7BDE-9ACD99DC59DA@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      DeSantis has leaned on his military experience in past campaigns to introduce himself to voters.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_AA250520-FC75-FCAC-AEA7-9ACD99E9FFA5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      Emblazoned on his first campaign website in 2012 were the words: \u201cVeteran. Citizen. Not a politician.\u201d\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_375005C6-F6B9-DD80-9B72-9ACD99F6C6E2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      When he campaigned for governor in 2018, he sent his resume to Florida voters, noting his Fallujah deployment and that he earned a Bronze Star. Pictures of DeSantis in his Navy whites and in military fatigues reached voters\u2019 mailboxes over and over.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_9453B590-A173-A294-8272-9ACD9A0335C1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      It\u2019s unclear why DeSantis has not again put that experience front and center during his presidential campaign. But he is known to be a deeply private person who is reluctant to share details about his personal life. For years, DeSantis didn\u2019t publicly talk about the unexpected death of his younger sister in 2015, nor has he willingly spoken about his churchgoing habits or his childhood.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_4C3B6320-2DFA-11DD-FD5D-9ACD9A11DBA1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      Bean hypothesized the Florida governor doesn\u2019t want to be seen as bragging about himself\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_9D25233A-3945-44D0-F44B-9ACD9A1FB5CD@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cI think he\u2019s reticent to do that,\u201d said Bean.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_B0000BBE-8B23-FB13-A628-9ACD9A28AEDB@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      While DeSantis saw his national political star rise by taking on cultural clashes in Florida, voters are now hearing more about his biography. If elected, DeSantis would be the first veteran to occupy the Oval Office since President George H. W. Bush.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_79037416-7C02-007B-F705-9ACD9A3647B8@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      Kristin Davison, the chief operating officer of Never Back Down, told donors last month that when DeSantis shares his background, voters \u201cactually left Trump and came to him.\u201d\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_7968025F-B42A-E8A9-9A16-9ACD9A45D251@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      On the trail, DeSantis is continuing to talk about his service more, recalling his time in Iraq or acknowledging the meaning of his service.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_02E671CD-0049-DEE2-69DF-9ACD9A534FCF@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cI would have made so much more money but to be able to serve alongside other patriots, you know, to wear the uniform of your country, you know, that\u2019s something that money can\u2019t buy, you know,\u201d he said at a June stop at a VFW in Reno, Nevada.\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_6FFB8FBD-630C-664A-659C-9ACD9A62211D@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      Iarossi, the Florida lobbyist, said details like that \u201cprovide a level of authenticity.\u201d\n  <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/paragraph_06341A6E-58A8-EB14-3292-9ACD9A71A9A5@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n      \u201cThose biographical facts,\u201d Iarossi said, \u201clend credibility to his message and to his story.\u201d\n  <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Read the full article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/09\/15\/politics\/desantis-military-experience\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nick Iarossi, a lobbyist and longtime supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis, approached the Florida Republican in July with a frank suggestion: Talk more about yourself. More specifically, talk more about your military service. \u201cI literally said, \u2018Why haven\u2019t you told anybody,\u2019\u201d Iarossi said. \u201cHe kind of laughed about it and said, \u2018Well, I don\u2019t like [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12542","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>DeSantis leans into his military experience to set himself apart in crowded 2024 GOP field | Prosfunds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nick Iarossi, a lobbyist and longtime supporter of Gov. 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