Ron DeSantis is releasing his first autobiography, in a key sign he's exploring a White House run
Phelan M. Ebenhack for The Washington Post via Getty Images
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has a book coming out on February 28.
- The autobiography will be titled, "The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival."
- It's commonplace for presidential hopefuls to write a book so voters can get to know them.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has an autobiography coming out early next year, in the surest sign yet that he's considering a presidential run.
The book will likely bring in a large financial advance for the Florida governor and include never-before-shared details on DeSantis, who rarely talks about his personal life when campaigning or appearing at public events throughout Florida.
It'll be titled, "The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival." A description released Wednesday by the publisher calls it a "firsthand account from the blue-collar boy who grew up to take on Disney and Dr. Fauci."
News of the book was first provided as an exclusive to Fox News. It will be released February 28, 2023, and published by Broadside Books, the conservative arm of Harper Collins.
The 272-page autobiography will include stories of DeSantis growing up in Dunedin, Florida; playing in the Little League World Series; his time as an undergrad at Yale University and at Harvard Law School; and his service in Iraq for the US Navy.
Throughout these experiences, the publisher writes of the forthcoming book, "Ron DeSantis learned the same lesson: He didn't want to be part of the leftist elite."
The book will also reveal details of his relationship with his wife, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, and her diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer, according to Fox.
It's not clear whether the book will include revelations about DeSantis' ties to former President Donald Trump, who endorsed DeSantis in 2018 when he was a little-known US Congressman. Trump has openly seethed at DeSantis over the possibility that the Florida governor might challenge him for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
The title and description of the book indicate that it'll also focus heavily on the governor's policies, including banning certain teachings about race and gender from schools. It'll detail DeSantis' COVID-19 policies, in which the governor reopened schools before most states, blocked businesses from forcing customers to prove they'd been vaccinated, and blocked schools from forcing students to wear masks.
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DeSantis wrote another book in 2011, about Obama
This will be the second book the governor has published. In 2011, before he ran for the US House, DeSantis wrote "Dreams from Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama," which criticized the former president's policies. It did not contain any personal details about DeSantis' life.
That book's publisher was High-Pitched Hum Publishing in Jacksonville, Florida, a cooperative publisher known as a "vanity press" in literary circles. In that instance, DeSantis paid to get his book published and to help pay for expenses such as printing.
According to NPD BookScan, which tracks retail sales of US print books, "Dreams from Our Founding Fathers" sold 125 copies through July of 2022.
DeSantis hasn't reported how much he'll receive in an advance for "The Courage to Be Free," but it's likely to be a significant sum that he'll have to report on his annual financial disclosure. The disclosures are required for all elected officials in Florida.
The book could significantly enrich the governor. As of this summer, DeSantis reported he had a net worth of $318,986.99, doesn't own property, and carries $21,284.92 in student loans, his financial records show.
Records from other presidential prospects give some indication about book advance amounts. For instance, GOP Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, another 2024 presidential prospect, earned a $184,167 advance for his book. When Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was running for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, she received a $730,350 advance for her book.
Other 2024 presidential prospects have recently released books, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
But of all the prospects, DeSantis is the only one who regularly polls just behind Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination for president. He resoundingly won reelection on November 8 and hasn't pledged to serve out all four years as governor of Florida.
DeSantis had previously considered publishing his book with Simon and Schuster, but backed out after realizing that Paramount, its parent company, also owned CBS News' 60 Minutes. The outlet ran a controversial piece in 2021 that accused DeSantis of favoritism in his COVID vaccine rollout, Politico reported in February.
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