“The name I hear most frequently talking to people is Ron DeSantis,” said Scott Walker, the former Wisconsin governor who said the former congressman was a constant subject of conversation during a recent cruise he took with a large group of fellow conservatives.

“What they said to me all the time is, they feel like DeSantis has the kind of guts, the same kind of backbone as Trump, but is the newer, younger, fresher version,” Walker added. “That’s what I hear repeatedly.”…

Peter Feaman, a member of the Republican National Committee from Florida, said DeSantis has more appeal with the GOP base than any Republican politician he’s ever seen, including former Govs. Jeb Bush, Charlie Crist, and Rick Scott.

“I’ve been there with Bush, Crist, Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis,” Feaman said. “I’ve never seen someone more popular with Republicans. It’s amazing.”

Some Republicans are taking the unusual step now to encourage DeSantis to get into the presidential race. Ready for Ron, a political action committee, formed in May to collect signatures of potential DeSantis supporters that, pending a decision from the Federal Election Commission, it hopes to give the governor if he declares as a candidate. It’s similar to an effort launched before Hillary Clinton announced her own presidential campaign in 2016, known as Ready for Hillary.