Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has not yet said whether or not he wants to move to the White House. The campaign hasn’t started, but he’s already touring the country looking for funds for his race.
This week, the Conservative Political Action conference is meeting in Washington DC to define strategies, align possible candidates and explore financial resources, but above all to create alliances. Enough for every Republican presidential hopeful to pay attention to the event and show up there.
Well, it is not the case of the governor of Florida. He has chosen to tour the country and keep his distance, perhaps because in his state there is a law that forces him to resign from his position eight months before the elections, which in this case are the presidential elections in November of next year. . If he runs and loses, he won’t even be governor anymore. By the way, Republicans in the Florida legislature are toying with the idea of killing that law.
In statements to the AP agency, David McIntosh, president of the Club for Growth, an influential conservative group based in Washington DC, said that “DeSantis, in his style and performance as governor, has shown his willingness to fight the traditional powers.” .
After all, he added, the governor displays a “refreshing” style and Republicans could look to other faces like the 44-year-old politician.
The problem is Trump, who no longer has the unanimity of the Republicans but the concern of many. That is why this week’s conference is key to defining the race with a view to the nomination at the Republican Convention, to be held in August 2024.
DeSantis spent this weekend at a luxury Palm Beach hotel with more than 100 donors, elected officials and influential conservatives. Attendees included former President Trump’s former chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney; Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds; Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton; and Texan Roy Bailey, a former member of Trump’s national finance committee.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee also attended, along with Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, Utah Senator Mike Lee, Texas Congressman Chip Roy and his Kentucky colleague Thomas Massie. .
In the next few days DeSantis will visit several states to present his book The Courage to Be Free. He will then return to Florida, where he appears to be the favorite after winning by more than 19 percentage points in the past midway elections.
Among the states to visit are Iowa and New Hampshire, as well as Georgia and Pennsylvania, where the campaign for the nomination is usually close.
Last week the governor was surprisingly in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, although the meetings were private and the local media were not notified.
Meanwhile, former President Trump refers to DeSantis as “Ron DeSanctimonious” and “Meatball” [albóndiga] Ron”. But the governor acknowledges the support he had from him to win the position in 2018.
“I knew that an endorsement from Trump would give me exposure to Republican primary voters throughout the state of Florida, and I was sure that many would see me as a good candidate once they learned of my record,” DeSantis describes in his book.
Trump’s obsession with DeSantis may unwittingly help the governor define him as the stronger Republican alternative, Sam Nunberg, a former Trump aide, told the magazine. US News and World Report.
“Donald is worried. If I were still working for him, I would tell him that he needs to update his approach,” she added.
