A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Capitol
The 2024 Republican presidential campaign continues, and for many the question is not if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gets into the race…but when.
His team has to be having some second thoughts, though, about an ill-fated but well-publicized trip to Washington, D.C., yesterday to meet with lawmakers there. The idea was to return to the place where he served as a Congressman, twist some arms and get some endorsements.
But as POLITICO reports, in the 24 hours leading up to the trip, not one but two members from the Florida delegation—Representatives John Rutherford and Greg Steube, who you’ve heard me talk to on the radio, endorsed not DeSantis, but former and perhaps future president Donald Trump. A third, Brian Mast, told CNN he’ll do the same thing soon.
And the drama was not limited to Florida representatives…Texas Congressman Lance Gooden actually walked out of the DeSantis meeting and declared his support for Trump.
POLITICO notes that DeSantis did get a national stage to talk about his state’s policy agenda compared with what he called the “radical” Biden administration. And Florida’s former Secretary of State, Laurel Lee—now a member of Congress—did pledge her support for DeSantis.
Reporting indicates that this is evidence that DeSantis does not cultivate the personal relationships necessary to connect with voters broadly. Rep. Steube notes that he had not heard from the governor’s team for the five years he has been in office…and that when he was recently hospitalized due to a fall, the first to call him was Trump. He says he’s still waiting for a call from DeSantis.
At the end of the day, POLITICO notes that Trump had picked up more endorsements from Florida from a thousand miles away, than DeSantis could muster in person in D.C.
