As a successful, popular leader in his state and current GOP presidential candidate, Gov. Ron DeSantis is often portrayed as a villain by the national media . After DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education Law, some in the media shared hyperbolic accounts of LGBT Floridians fleeing the state or considering it, as if their very lives were threatened by the legislation.

The latest attack involves pointing to the governor as a culprit in the racially motivated killings that occurred at a Jacksonville, Florida, Dollar General on Saturday. The killer targeted innocent black Americans simply for existing. The violence was perpetrated by one deranged individual who embraced the evil that is white supremacy. DeSantis called the killer a "major league scumbag" and also declared, "We are not going to let people be targeted based on their race."

On Tuesday, the Associated Press published an article titled "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis faces Black leaders’ anger after racist killings in Jacksonville." A line in the opening paragraphs reads, "The [NAACP] argued that the state’s loose gun laws and the Republican governor’s 'anti-woke' campaign to deny the existence of systemic racism created a culture of 'open hostility towards African Americans and people of color.'" Reporter Steve Peoples, who co-authored the piece, posted the following on social media:

It is easy in times of anguish to find someone to take the blame for the horror. This is especially true when the real perpetrator is dead, as is the case in Jacksonville. But that tendency does nothing to address glaring problems of mental health or heal community relations. It emphasizes narratives that contain little to no truth and treats them like fact.

DeSantis is invested in fighting culture wars, and there is nothing wrong with that. Voters on both sides of the aisle often disagree with their opponents and among themselves when it comes to tactics used in these ideological battles. But no actions taken by DeSantis and no speeches made by him have in any way encouraged "open hostility" toward other Americans. He has never advocated violence in any form. Suggesting his leadership can be connected to the heinous acts committed in Jacksonville is to reject reality.

Two days after the shooting, NAACP President Derrick Johnson said , "What Gov. DeSantis has done is created an atmosphere for such tragedies to take place. This is exactly why we issued the travel advisory."

In May, the NAACP issued a travel advisory for Florida. Among other things, the advisory states, "Under its current Governor, the State of Florida has engaged in an all-out attack on Black Americans." This kind of warped language is not in line with the governor's words or actions, or the state of Florida in general.

To believe the advisory is to assume the Sunshine State is dangerous for black people from the moment they step onto its soil. This is fearmongering: A quick glance at the data reveals the crime rate in Florida is at a 50-year low. That's good news for every Floridian, no matter their race, orientation, or political party.

If anything, the kind of behavior that might spur people to extremism is the kind that blames DeSantis and Republicans in general for the actions of others.

In Jacksonville, a racist took the lives of Angela Michelle Carr, Anolt Joseph "A.J." Laguerre Jr., and Jerrald De'Shaun Gallion. They were victims of one man who made his own choice to commit evil. These innocent souls deserve to be remembered and mourned. Their deaths should not be politicized for temporary gain.

Kimberly Ross ( @SouthernKeeks ) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.