While the circus around a former president and the series of blunders from the current president continue to dominate our politics, Florida Republicans continue to chart a conservative path forward that the party should be learning from.

On Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that removed the requirement for gun owners to obtain a permit for concealed carry. With this move, Florida joined 25 other states in allowing constitutional carry, cementing a concealed carry majority among U.S. states. That same day, the Florida Senate passed a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, sending a heartbeat bill to the Florida House. DeSantis has already promised to sign it.

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Florida Republicans have continued to pile up wins during their legislative session. The state passed universal school choice, joining three others during the 2023 session, expanding school choice to all students in the state. The Florida House passed more restrictions on schools brainwashing children with sexual orientation and gender identity material in eighth grade and lower. That same bill would allow parents “more power to challenge” inappropriate class materials.

DeSantis has continued his own strong policy run as well. His administration has overseen the removal of “social and emotional learning” curricula that serve as a vehicle for schools to bring critical race theory into classrooms. The DeSantis administration will also be launching an investigation into Disney, as the company has tried to undermine the legislature and maintain its special benefits.

In totality, Florida Republicans have strengthened the Second Amendment and parental rights in education, are on the verge of enshrining further protections for unborn children, and are not allowing woke corporations to wiggle their way out of consequences. (Compare that last point to recently announced GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson, who helped Walmart weaken religious liberty protections in Arkansas, and you can see why it’s a big deal.)

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Moreover, they are doing this in what was considered up until the midterm elections to be a swing state. Imagine telling political pundits in 2018, after DeSantis won his election by just 0.4 points, that this is where Florida would be in less than five years. It sounds like the Democratic Party’s regular election year “Blue Texas” fan fiction.

The Florida Republican Party is in the process of showing that competent conservative governance is popular. Conservatism doesn’t need to be watered down and sacrificed to liberal corporations. This is what winning can and should look like, and it doesn’t come with any of the circus antics that some Republicans have embraced in recent years.