Desantis Staffers Push Back on Politico

When Dustin Carmack first met Ron DeSantis at a Heritage Foundation dinner in 2012, he made a couple of early observations: One, that at 34, DeSantis was young for a congressman, and two, that he was articulate and interesting. He gave off the vibe of a frat brother who happened to be “rocking James Madison quotes verbatim off the top of his head,” Carmack said.

Carmack, then a young Heritage Action staffer, came away impressed. He and DeSantis had a “mind meld on policy,” he said. He’d never wanted to work on Capitol Hill, but ended up going to work with DeSantis, first as his legislative director, then as his congressional chief of staff.

About the Author

Ryan Mills

Ryan Mills was an enterprise and media reporter at National Review. He previously worked for 14 years as a breaking news reporter, investigative reporter, and editor at newspapers in Florida. Originally from Minnesota, Ryan lives in the Fort Myers area with his wife and two sons.

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When Dustin Carmack first met Ron DeSantis at a Heritage Foundation dinner in 2012, he made a couple of early observations: One, that at 34, DeSantis was young for a congressman, and two, that he was articulate and interesting. He gave off the vibe of a frat brother who happened to be “rocking James Madison quotes verbatim off the top of his head,” Carmack said.

Carmack, then a young Heritage Action staffer, came away impressed. He and DeSantis had a “mind meld on policy,” he said. He’d never wanted to work on Capitol Hill, but ended up going to work with DeSantis, first as his legislative director, then as his congressional chief of staff.

About the Author

Ryan Mills

Ryan Mills was an enterprise and media reporter at National Review. He previously worked for 14 years as a breaking news reporter, investigative reporter, and editor at newspapers in Florida. Originally from Minnesota, Ryan lives in the Fort Myers area with his wife and two sons.