We’re still some two years from when Republican voters will cast their primary ballots, yes. But given the current political landscape on the right, DeSantis seems most primed to overtake Trump, if anyone can.

There are several factors working in DeSantis’ favor, including being a fairly-popular, if controversial, governor of a state with the third-largest slate of Electoral College votes. That controversy, driven by his laissez-faire handling of COVID and his aggressive response to Florida counties that sought to enact stricter pandemic regulations, has made him a darling on the right. Thanks to steady appearances on Fox News, plus lots of gushing coverage of his governorship by the network, DeSantis is gaining an impressive national profile. And his assault on voting rights and stoking of fears about critical race theory in Florida’s public schools show how deftly he’s pulling straight from Trump’s playbook. It looks like DeSantis’ strategy to win the Republican nomination comes down to out-Trumping Trump.

What’s Pence’s plan? If he’s angling to position himself as Trump-lite — someone who can deliver Trump’s hardline policies without his heinous personality — he’s misjudging the moment. The mood on the right is one of revolution, not reformation. Pence’s solemn, choir-boy posturing has little appeal when what so many Republican voters seem to want is an unhinged political arsonist.