The U.S. Capitol may be in Washington and the President in Scotland at the moment, but Florida is at the center of American politics, Kimberly Leonard suggests in Political Playbook.

Not only has President Trump spent much of his time governing from Mar-a-Lago and surrounded himself with Floridians like Susie Wiles and Marco Rubio, but many “Florida-tested” policies have found there way to Washington. That includes bans on transgender athletes, immigration crackdowns, attacks on higher education, and anti-woke laws.

As Leonard describes it:

When your author was reporting in Washington over Trump’s inauguration, Florida Republicans and lobbyists were beside themselves with glee about what it would mean to be a major power player in the new administration. Despite being a huge state, Florida had historically been viewed as the loud, embarrassing uncle of American politics. Trump changed that. . . .

“Florida has adopted and replicated President Trump’s America First agenda and has created many emerging leaders to carry on the MAGA torch,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers tells Playbook. “President Trump appreciates Gov. DeSantis’ work and they will continue to advance the same goal — Making America Great Again.”

Some of us are old enough to remember that, a quarter century ago, a disputed presidential election in Florida led to significant changes in how elections are administered and more partisan battles over how we vote. Florida is now changing democratic politics in very different ways.