Largely agree with you, although jury still out on Whitmer for me to a degree. Open minded though. Just no, no, no, no, no Newsome. I will vote for anyone over Newsome.
On the R’s you list, I think DeSantis has been fear-mongered and unfairly portrayed by the national media, creating a perception that he is some mini-Trump. They thought he was going to be the main completion for this cycle and so the attacks started early and often. He isn’t Trump or anything close. I am a big fan based on what he’s done in Florida and especially what he did during COVID. He is more popular with independents and even Democrats in Florida than the national media lets on. Which is partly why he won by such a huge number last selection and won counties in Democratic strongholds that R’s have won or been really competitive in for years. My business is based in Florida and a large employer in the state, and I can’t tell you how many colleagues of mine who have never voted for a Republican that voted for him last time based on what he did during his first term and how he handled the COVID response compared to the rest of the country, including the Trump administration BTW.