Desantis moves toward GOP presidential bid on own terms
NEW YORK — Republican presidential contenders typically fight for prime speaking slots at the Conservative Political Action Conference. But as conservative activists gather in suburban Washington this week, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis will be courting donors more than a thousand miles away in Texas and California.
The apparent CPAC snub is nothing new for Desantis, who has emerged in the early phase of the 2024 presidential election as a leading contender for the GOP nomination even as he ignores many conventions of modern politics.
Desantis is a frequent voice in conservative cultural fights on cable television, but he often avoids gatherings of fellow Republican governors and party leaders, who are quick to complain in private about his go-it-alone approach. He is the only top-tier presidential prospect yet to court voters in Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina, the states hosting the GOP’S opening presidential primary contests. And he is often at odds with the press, refusing even to notify local media of last week’s rare three-state tour with law enforcement.
Indeed, as Desantis moves toward a White House run, it is becoming increasingly clear that the 44-year-old Republican governor will manage his presidential aspirations in his own way, on his own timeline, with or without allies in national GOP leadership or relationships with the press.
For now, Desantis is perhaps the most potent threat to Trump’s effort to win the GOP nomination for the third time. The Club for Growth will host Desantis among a half-dozen presidential prospects at a closeddoor retreat in Florida next weekend with top donors. Trump is not invited.
Meanwhile, Desantis has quietly begun to expand his political coalition on his terms just as he releases a book, “The Courage to be Free,” which comes out Tuesday.
He spent the weekend huddled behind closed doors at a south Florida luxury hotel for a “Freedom Blueprint” retreat with more than 100 donors, elected officials and conservative influencers. The attendees included former Trump chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton and Texasbased donor Roy Bailey, a former member of Trump’s national finance committee.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee were also in attendance, along with Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Texas Rep. Chip Roy and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham hosted a fireside chat with Desantis on Sunday before he joined a “fighting back against woke” discussion with Chaya Raichik, who runs the “Libs of Tiktok” social media account.
Details from the gathering were disclosed by participants who requested anonymity to discuss the the private event.
Trump was largely ignored throughout the weekend retreat, although conservative commentator Ann Coulter seized on his failure to build a wall spanning the entire U.s.-mexico border during a Saturday panel discussion with Desantis on border security, according to one person in the room. She accused the former president of never actually wanting to build it in the first place.
In the coming days and weeks, Desantis will use the release of his book to introduce himself to voters beyond Florida, having established his political dominance there last fall by winning reelection by more than 19 percentage points.
He is expected to make his first appearances in key states on the primary calendar such as Iowa and New Hampshire in the coming weeks in addition to general election battlegrounds like Georgia and Pennsylvania. Last week, he made surprise stops in New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago to court law enforcement leaders, although the events were private and he did not notify local media.
While he has begun to expand his profile, Desantis has done far less than most of the early 2024 class to connect with primary voters and would-be allies in key states.