As lawmakers prepare for the upcoming 2022 midterm election, some lawmakers are also gearing up for the 2024 presidential election. One likely candidate whose name has been rumored to enter the candidate field is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R). With some voters championing a President Donald Trump (R) and Vice President DeSantis ticket, some others are speculating if DeSantis should stand on his own ticket. The Governor has disregarded the rumors of a presidential run, commenting that he wants to focus on his current role because “we need more Republicans to show some backbone,” and he feels that leading by example at this point is best done as Governor.
Florida Rep. Charlie Crist (D) is the first challenger to emerge for the upcoming gubernatorial election, but Governor DeSantis has largely disregarded Crist’s candidacy. Crist, who formerly served as Governor of Florida, made his first campaign stop in Miami earlier this month. In his stop, the Florida lawmaker made a distinction between himself and DeSantis, arguing that the race between them is about “right versus wrong.”
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D), who has advertised that she’ll be making an important announcement on June 1st, is also expected to launch a gubernatorial run. She has also been heavily critical of the Governor and his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governor DeSantis spoke to the Allegheny County Republican Party over the weekend, and it’s the second out-of-state visit that the Governor has made this year. Many are taking this as speculation that he could be getting ready to launch a 2024 presidential bid. Moreover, in April, according to PredictIt, DeSantis had jumped over President Trump in trades forecasting regarding the potential winner of the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Earlier this year, DeSantis turned down any ideas of running for President.
He affirmed that he’s “thinking about governing Florida and running for reelection in 2022,” adding that any speculation dates back to comments made by Greg Kelly, who said that “people see me out here leading, and they like to see that in the Republican Party because, quite frankly, we need more Republicans to show some backbone.”
