Photo courtesy Education Foundation of Sarasota County.

Hurricane politics are a force that tests and sometimes breaks leaders. Rarely has a storm as strong as Ian struck the shores of the United States, though Florida knows as well as any state can the societal turbulence that comes with 140-mph winds. People often think of Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed New Orleans, ended Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and tarnished President George W. Bush’s legacy to this day. But as readily as voters will punish failure, they also will reward success.

Gov. Ron DeSantis already enjoyed a strong position in the polls before the storm, though he seemed potentially vulnerable to a major shift. Perhaps Roe-vember would come to pass and a 15-week abortion ban would do him in. Or maybe a natural disaster would deliver a test he failed. Instead, the opposite took place. At least in terms of immediate relief, DeSantis did right by the residents of Southwest Florida, including south Sarasota County, and a Florida Atlantic University poll yesterday showed him up on Democrat Charlie Crist by 11 percentage points, lifted largely by approval of his post-storm achievements.

In the long term, this storm could yet hurt him. An insurance crisis that expanded under his watch is about to get worse. But that’s something we all will start thinking about three months from now when we argue with agents about why are claims have not yet made us whole. But as far as Nov. 8, DeSantis just opened a dirt bridge to Sanibel, delivered a six-figure disaster relief check to the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, and stood side-by-side with President Joe Biden, normally an adversary, and showed unity when Floridians couldn’t bear to see anything else.

Now, what happens downballot? Will this impact the one legislative seat in the Sarasota-Bradenton area that should be competitive, namely the Fiona McFarland-Derek Reich race in House District 73? Will it in anyway touch the Sarasota County Commission contest between Democrat Fredd Atkins and Republican Mark Smith? How about the Manatee race between Democratic Commissioner Reggie Bellamy and Republican Amanda Ballard?

I would suggest first of all, the further north from the storm’s landfall, the less material impact hurricane response will have on the storm. But then who knows? Those areas were also the first to get their power back and the ones most likely to feel like response was so good it’s like it never happened; I own a home in Lee County and assure you the scars of this event will endure there for a much longer time.

That said, I think the greatest impact of the storm at the local level, if not statewide, is that it largely neutered any ability to persuade voters into changing their mind from how they felt on Sept. 27. Politics aren’t front and center for many in the region, and messaging that fails to grasp that may prompt a trip from the mailbox to the trash can for fliers or the change of channel for viewers. Indeed, I know at least one campaign selling the beauty of the region elected to change images completely to focus of support for first responders precisely because video of martini drinkers at outdoor cafes no longer have the same feel-good vibe from Venice south.

In short, anything can happen in politics — or in life as the hurricane reminded as well. This storm presents our leaders with long-term challenges. It also gives them a moment to shine right before an election. There’s worse things to rest the outcome of a race on than whether officials proved up to task when the public needed them most.

Jacob Ogles is contributing senior editor for SRQ Media Group.

Photo courtesy Education Foundation of Sarasota County.