According to allies familiar with his thinking, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is all in on his expected presidential run.
According to the Washington Post, DeSantis’ political committee will serve as a springboard for the governor’s aspirations for higher office. Any announcement, however, is unlikely to come anytime soon. According to sources, DeSantis will finish Florida’s legislative session in May before announcing his candidacy. The Republicans’ near total control of the state’s governing body provides DeSantis with an unrestricted opportunity to implement his ambitious agenda ahead of any presidential campaign.
Governor DeSantis will joined today by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds for stops in Des Moines and Davenport, his first visit to an early voting state in next year’s Republican primary.
Florida became a haven for anti-lockdown measures during the Covid-19 lockdown, propelling DeSantis into the national spotlight. His willingness to disregard warnings from former presidential medical advisor Anthony Fauci proved popular with conservatives at a time when elected officials were under intense pressure to implement mask mandates and close public parks and transportation.
Ken Cuccinelli, President Trump’s former acting director of immigration services, will lead a new political action committee called Never Back Down. People familiar with the committee’s plans anticipate that it will serve as a vehicle for large contributions in support of DeSantis from some of the GOP’s wealthiest donors. The governor has already received seven-figure checks from investor Jeffrey Yass and the Reyes brothers, who run America’s largest beer and food distributors.
DeSantis for months has flirted with a presidential run and in recent weeks released his own book, “The Courage to be Free” which immediately topped the New York Times bestseller list.
Despite President Donald Trump’s attacks on his soon-to-be opponent, DeSantis has remained silent. When pressed, the governor speaks broadly about his plans to avoid criticizing other Republicans while his team determines how and when to engage the former president.
