Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is ramping up his travel and events as he begins his bid for the 2024 Presidential nomination for the Republican Party. Despite not yet formally announcing his candidacy, DeSantis is already acting like a Presidential candidate as he holds public bill-signing ceremonies while traversing the state. These events allow him to promote his political message in settings that he carefully stage-manages. Recently, he signed a slew of measures that hit all the culture-clash notes his base has rewarded him for, including bills banning gender-transition care for minors, banning children from attending drag shows, and restricting the use of preferred pronouns in schools.
DeSantis’s potential rivals for the presidency are out of office or hold legislative roles, and his platform as Governor gives him an edge over them. He is likely to formally declare his candidacy at the end of the month. His signing of bills aimed at the L.G.B.T.Q. community, and his pushing of Florida to the right on social issues, is a potential weakness among centrist Republicans for a general election.
As he travels the state, the lines between DeSantis’s roles as Governor and potential presidential candidate become blurred. In a recent event, DeSantis received a boost from Florida’s two top Republican legislative leaders, Kathleen Passidomo, the Senate president, and Paul Renner, the House speaker, who endorsed him for president, an office he is not yet formally seeking. DeSantis is also seeking endorsements from state lawmakers, and his allies are jostling with former President Donald J. Trump’s backers to secure those pledges.
DeSantis has held an official event on every weekday in May. He spends his weekends on political travel, including to Iowa, which is a crucial early-voting state. Since winning re-election in a rout in November, DeSantis has regularly faced questions at state events about his national political ambitions.
DeSantis recently took a swipe at Trump for dodging a question about abortion. The former President criticized Florida’s six-week ban as too harsh while remaining noncommittal about what restrictions he might support. DeSantis signed the bill into law and was proud to do it, highlighting the difference in opinion between them.
Despite being popular in the Republican Party, DeSantis faces opposition from many organizations, including Equality Florida, an advocacy organization, that called his actions an all-out attack on freedom. On the other hand, DeSantis’s supporters are lobbying for his endorsements by highlighting his pro-freedom and pro-economic growth policies.
In conclusion, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is gearing up to run for the Republican Party’s Presidential nomination in 2024. He is already acting like a Presidential candidate, traveling around the state, signing bills, and promoting his political message. DeSantis’s platform as Governor gives him an edge over potential rivals who are out of office or hold legislative roles. Despite facing opposition from many organizations, DeSantis’s supporters are actively seeking endorsements from state lawmakers and highlighting his pro-freedom and pro-economic growth policies.
