DeSantis fans imagine a scenario where Trump, suddenly aware of the passage of time and the need to pass the torch, will gracefully bow out and clear the field for the governor. That’s not likely. There already seems to be a not-so-subtle Trump/DeSantis rivalry. An ally of the governor’s is running against Trump’s choice for agriculture commissioner, Senate president Wilton Simpson. Trump has endorsed Florida’s attorney general and CFO, but not the governor . . . even as he found time to endorse Dr. Oz over the weekend.
Recall also that former DeSantis campaign ace Susie Wiles, whose strategy drove the come-from-behind win for him in 2018, was booted from the governor’s orbit. She still works for Trump, though…
DeSantis as the non-Trump frontrunner is already a target, as Maryland governor Larry Hogan’s diss of the state’s Parental Rights in Education law shows. Expect more 2024 types to hit DeSantis as spring turns to summer.
It’s difficult to stay atop polls for years on end, and a frontrunner two years out doesn’t always hold serve by the time New Hampshire and Iowa voters are in play.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member