Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida, is reportedly poised to announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential race.
DeSantis plans to formally apply with the Federal Election Commission and then make a formal announcement from his hometown of Dunedin, according to unconfirmed reporting by CNN.
Yet the media outlet made a point that DeSantis is just as likely to “throw out the script” in light of this media leak.
DeSantis has nonetheless shown signs of preparing for the race, with reports that his top fundraisers and donors have already been summoned to Miami, according to CNN.
The Four Seasons in Miami has reserved around 100 hotel rooms to accommodate donors, the two unnamed Republicans told CNN. Fundraising sessions are projected to bring in between $100,000 and $150,000 each.
DeSantis was also recently in Iowa and New Hampshire, two early GOP nominating states.
While in Iowa on May 13, DeSantis seemed to hint at his strategy for the race.
Speaking before caucus voters at Sioux Center, DeSantis argued that the key to the GOP winning the presidency was making the election “a referendum on Joe Biden and his failures” and offering voters “a positive alternative for the future of this country.”
As The Dallas Express previously reported, Biden’s approval rating hit a record-low 36% earlier this month.
The political action committee Never Back Down has painted a favorable portrait of DeSantis’ anticipated presidential bid, reporting that he received endorsements from lawmakers in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Florida, according to CNN.
Yet former President Donald Trump — who has already held the first rally of his presidential campaign in Waco — also reported key endorsements in Iowa, South Carolina, and DeSantis’ state of Florida, according to Time.
New Hampshire Rep. Juliet Harvey-Bolia, a Republican, told NBC News that, rather than choose between DeSantis and Trump, she is “endorsing both.”
“DeSantis has a lot of promise for the future, and Trump is great now,” Harvey-Bolia explained.
Other GOP lawmakers are more clear about which side they are taking.
Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said that DeSantis is “exactly the kind of leader we need for our country,” according to National Review.
“It was a very easy endorsement,” U.S. Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) told Time Magazine. “South Carolina has and always will be fertile Trump country.”
New Hampshire Republican Rep. Lisa Smart released a statement to NBC News saying, “I was so incredibly proud to join many of my colleagues in endorsing President Donald J. Trump last month and my support for him has not changed.”
In response to Never Back Down erroneously naming her on a list of DeSantis endorsers, she said, “I’m dismayed by the games being played by Never Back Down and I will NOT be participating in any activities with Ron DeSantis,” according to NBC News.
Yet there has reportedly been some fudging of endorsement figures on Trump’s side as well, with Axios reporting that three of the 150 people listed by Trump as having endorsed him in Iowa had, in fact, not.
