The legislative session is expected to end in late May. But even if you regard a formal DeSantis announcement as just an opportunity for a week of media hype in pursuit of a campaign he is already waging, its absence does offer him an escape hatch if he decides not to run at all. After all, he’s definitely losing not only polling numbers but also conservative-media attention to Trump right now. His signature bullying of the “woke” Walt Disney Company is looking a lot less successful. And he’s facing a tough slog through the primaries knowing that Trump’s legal battles will continue to dominate news cycles and excite primary voters who are already favorably inclined toward the 45th president. On top of everything else, DeSantis is only 44 years old, which means, if he passes up potential cage matches with two presidents in 2024, he could pick another presidential cycle for about three decades.

The possibility that DeSantis will reach the fail-safe point this spring and turn back may be low, but its impact on 2024 would be so massive that it’s worth a look at what might ensue. There are basically two post-RDS scenarios[.]

[Read it all, but Kilgore’s two options would functionally be the same. It would touch off a free-for-all that would allow Trump to win the nomination again. Glenn Youngkin could be the biggest beneficiary of a DeSantis pass, but Youngkin wouldn’t push other contenders out in the way that DeSantis’ massive war chest and national coverage would. The chances of DeSantis pulling out are somewhere between slim and none, probably for that very reason. — Ed]