ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Washington Post reported Gov. Ron DeSantis has indicated privately that he intends to run for president, according to two people familiar with his comments.
While the governor has not confirmed his expected 2024 run, political analysts said his actions speak louder than words.
"There's no question he's in. It's just a matter of when," Dr. Lars Hafner, 10 Tampa Bay political analyst, said. "He's doing all the steps that would tell us that he's going to run for president."
The governor visited Iowa on a book tour to promote his memoir Friday. DeSantis will also visit Nevada on Saturday, another early GOP primary state.
A former White House official who helped implement Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies launched a PAC Thursday urging DeSantis to run.
Meanwhile, his would-be confirmed GOP rival Nikki Haley was also there. Former President Donald Trump plans to visit Davenport on Monday.
“We will never surrender to the woke mob,” DeSantis said to a crowd in Davenport. “Our state is where woke goes to die.”
He is expected to announce his run sometime after the legislative session wraps up in May with more than $70 million still left from his reelection campaign, according to the Washington Post.
Hafner said while the governor has favorable view in Florida, it's too soon to tell how his policies or views would cater to the rest of the nation. For instance, issues popular among swing voters like abortion.
Democrats see abortion as a key issue for their party in 2024, when control of the White House and both chambers of Congress will be up for grabs at the same time. Vice President Kamala Harris stopped by Tallahassee on what would've been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade to deliver remarks.
Polls on who's leading among the GOP are scattered nationwide. It's difficult to narrow down who's leading at this stage, Dr. Michael Binder said, faculty director of UNF's Public Opinion Research Lab.
"We are a long ways off," Binder said. "This is all about the spring of 2024. This has nothing to do with November."
Aside from policies, Binder said voters will have a better idea of their preferences on other factors like on-stage debates with rivals, one-on-one interactions, and more opportunities to be questioned by media.
"With the Republican primary, it seemed like every week there was a new front runner and people would spike and plummet," Binder said.
However, a new UNF poll among Florida voters show they have DeSantis' back.
Among a list, 52% of respondents indicated a vote for Ron DeSantis, followed by 27% for Donald Trump, according to the poll. When asked to pick between just DeSantis and Trump, the governor's lead went up from 25 to 31 points.
Currently, DeSantis would need to give up his job as governor if he announces a run for the White House, however lawmakers could vote to make changes to its "resign-to-run" law this legislative session.
The governor's office did not respond to a request for comment in regard to the Washington Post article.