DeSantis is preparing to launch his White House bid before the end of the month, according to two sources with knowledge of the planning. https://t.co/gdxEFtAd8K pic.twitter.com/VstjF1rCFN

— CNN (@CNN) May 16, 2023

DeSantis is preparing to launch his White House bid before the end of the month, according to two sources with knowledge of the planning. His political operation is currently moving into a new headquarters in Tallahassee while a super PAC closely aligned with the Florida Republican builds out a national campaign from Atlanta. Next week, he will meet with top fundraisers in South Florida, where he is expected to signal to them that it’s time to start asking their wealthy friends for checks.

Though some donors have grumbled about his recent performance and worry he’s already badly damaged by Donald Trump’s repeated attacks, within DeSantis’ insular team of trusted advisers, the roll out of his presidential campaign is right on schedule. DeSantis vowed he wouldn’t make a decision about the race until the state wrapped up its legislative session. That ended earlier this month, and DeSantis is finalizing the state budget and touring the state signing his conservative policy victories into law.

[Unlike CNN’s somewhat cramped view, there’s never been a rush for this. DeSantis has plenty of time to get into the scrum. The first debate won’t take place for another three months, and DeSantis and his PAC already have a massive war chest and lots of support. The real question will be who exits the race once DeSantis makes it official — not Trump, of course, but some of the other marginal players may decide to quietly fade to the sidelines. — Ed]