Invitations went out this week for an “intimate dinner” with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his wife, Casey in Miami Sunday. The Republican governor won a landslide victory in his campaign for re-election and turned Florida into a solid red state. Now he is meeting with some of his top donors and laying the groundwork for the way forward.

The way forward, if you ask me, is for DeSantis to get his ducks in a row and enter the Republican primary for the 2024 presidential election. But, no one asked and I’m not invited to the dinner with the governor and his lovely wife. The people of Florida want him as their governor, obviously, and his second term hasn’t even begun. Maybe he’s just having a little thank-you dinner for his big donors and nothing more. I hope, though, that it is more. I hope he is securing their support for a little further down the road.

Both DeSantis and his wife, Casey, will join a dinner and discussion on Florida’s “Freedom Blueprint,” according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the invitation isn’t public. Representatives for the governor didn’t reply to a request for comments on the meeting, which was reported earlier Wednesday by the Washington Post.

DeSantis has said in recent press conferences that Florida was a “bright spot” for Republicans in last month’s elections, highlighting what he called a lackluster performance in the rest of the country. Even as Trump has openly criticized him — nicknaming him “Ron DeSanctimonious” — DeSantis has avoided direct confrontation, instead telling people to “check the scoreboard” from the midterms, a jab at the poor showings of the former president’s handpicked candidates.

DeSantis is young. He’s only 44 years old. He has shown the GOP how to win. He knows he has, too. His victory speech on election night made reference to it. Now is his time to plan for his future.

It’s very early yet and the only person definitely running so far is Trump. DeSantis is a successful fundraiser, with a total of more than $160M in this election cycle. Some megadonors like billionaires Stephen Schwarzman (Blackstone Group) and Thomas Peterffy acknowledge it is time for a new generation of politicians in the Republican Party. DeSantis is a good alternative to Trump.

An interesting thing is happening with Trump. After he announced he is running again, he kind of disappeared. He did one virtual rally for Herschel Walker on the eve of the election and we all know how the election turned out. He has created headlines for really poor judgement, which isn’t something a presidential candidate needs. Also, a presidential candidate should know better than to call for the dismantling of the constitution. He had dinner with Ye and his friends at Mar-a-Lago, which was disastrous publicity and shows he doesn’t have the right people around him. A competent adviser or assistant would not have allowed that dinner to happen.

Can DeSantis beat Trump? Yeah, I think he can. Granted, I underestimated Trump in 2015 but this isn’t 2015. He’s not going to be able to do anything he wants to do and the consequences be damned. Everyone knows him now and how he operates. Frankly, his expectation of a coronation is without basis. Yes, he still has a core group of people who will make him their first choice, no matter what. That group is shrinking, though. He can’t win a presidential election with only his core supporters. I think a strong alternative in the primary will gain enough support to defeat him.

Republicans can snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory with great skill. Look what happened in the midterm elections. Perhaps it will have been a good learning experience. Candidate quality matters. Trump has a very checkered record as a kingmaker so far. J.D. Vance won but others that were in big races didn’t and that cost us the Senate. And we lost the governorship of Arizona. Arizona now has two Democrat senators and a Democrat governor. Katie Hobbs should have been easy to beat, she was a terrible candidate.

DeSantis offers a fresh start. Voters look forward, not backwards. DeSantis knows it is now or never for him, I think. It’s a perfect window. He’s right to show the maturity to not get in the gutter with Trump when Trump starts the name-calling. To ignore Trump is the worst punishment of all for him.

A governor brings a well-rounded set of skills to the table. Florida is a bright spot in the country. Democrats thought they would eliminate DeSantis with his handling of Hurricane Ian and that backfired. He handled it very well. His wife even raised money for those who fell between the cracks with insurance companies and got them the financial assistance to help them meet immediate needs.

I don’t think DeSantis will have trouble bringing big money donors on board, if he decides to run. Leaders in the Florida Legislature (now a Republican supermajority, thanks to DeSantis) have already signaled the state’s “resign to run” statute will be fixed. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez would be able to take over. The next couple of months or so will be interesting to see who decides to run and who does not.