Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was just reelected by a landslide but he may have larger ambitions for political office.
According to Fox News, this weekend, DeSantis is scheduled to hold an “intimate dinner” with several of his top donors as speculation that he may step into the 2024 GOP presidential nomination race grows.
Fox News noted further:
DeSantis, riding high after his overwhelming re-election victory in November, will hold the first of what may be a series of invite-only meetings with donors this Sunday, the Washington Post reports. Invitations to the dinner reportedly make no mention of a 2024 run, however, saying only that it was an opportunity to celebrate the governor’s win with some of his “strongest supporters.”
The meeting comes as DeSantis is seeking to brush off speculation about a presidential run and the conflict with former President Donald Trump that comes with it. Trump already lashed out at DeSantis prior to the midterm elections, dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
The tables turned on Election Day, however, when Trump’s candidates wildly underperformed across the country, costing Republicans control of Congress. Meanwhile, DeSantis coasted to victory by nearly 20 points in Florida.
Despite Trump’s jibes and attacks, DeSantis has remained silent and has not responded in kind.
“I think what you learn is all of that is just noise, and really what matters is are you leading, are you getting in front of issues, are you delivering results for people, and are you standing up for folks,” he said in response to a question about Trump last month. “At the end of the day I would just tell people to go check out the scoreboard from last Tuesday night.”
Fox News added: “A new poll from Marquette Law School suggests DeSantis would now have the upper hand over Trump if he chooses to run for president, however. DeSantis enjoyed a 10-point lead over Trump among Republican-identifying voters in the poll in a 55%-45% split.”
As for his qualifications, DeSantis gave a rousing victory speech following his nearly 20-point victory over former GOP governor-turned-Dem Rep. Charlie Crist.
Here is part of it:
Florida was a refuge of sanity when the world went mad. We stood as a citadel of freedom for people across this country and, indeed, across the world. We faced attacks. We took the hits. We weathered the storms. But we stood our ground. We did not back down. We had the conviction to guide us, and we had the courage to lead.
We did not back down. We had the conviction to guide us and we had the courage to lead. We made promises. We made promises to the people of Florida and we have delivered on those promises. And so today, after four years, the people have delivered their verdict: freedom is here to stay.
Thanks to the overwhelming support of the people of Florida, we not only won an election, we have rewritten the political map. Thank you for honoring us with a win for the ages…
People have come here because our policies work. Leadership matters. We refused to use polls and put our finger in the wind. Leaders don’t follow, they lead. We’ve set out a vision. We executed on that vision and we produced historic results. And the people of this state have responded in record fashion. Now while our country flounders due to failed leadership in Washington, Florida is on the right track. I believe the survival of the American experiment requires a revival of true American principles. Florida has proved that it can be done. We offer a ray of hope that better days still lie ahead. I am proud of our achievements in this state.