Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has brushed off polls showing he is behind former President Donald Trump in a potential 2024 Republican presidential run.
DeSantis told reporters he was not a candidate, but we’ll have to see if that changes.
According to a report, Trump’s lead against DeSantis has grown. According to the RealClear Politics average of polls from March 31st, Trump was ahead in the popular vote by 45.9% to 30.1%. That margin is now 52.4% to 23.4%.
Due to his continued fight with Disney and his characterization of the conflict in Ukraine as a “territorial dispute,” he dropped far behind Trump in the polls.
The New York Times explained that DeSantis was expected to be more popular with voters than Trump. But DeSantis’ capability to gain support from the suburban and independent voters is being called into doubt. The governor’s hard-line policies, notably on abortion, would turn off the same people he vowed to win back. Even potential allies are worried about his dispute with Disney.
Reports show DeSantis has been increasing his national trips in preparation for a probable presidential campaign. A sweeping law is coming that may soon make secret the use of state aircraft and other details about his official travel.
Last Wednesday, the Florida Senate voted 28-12 in favor of the bill, with Republicans utilizing their supermajority to push through the proposal. The Florida Constitution mandates a two-thirds vote for any exemptions to the state’s public records law. The bill has passed the Senate and now moves on to the House, where it is anticipated to be approved.
The law would apply not just to DeSantis’s future flights but also to any documents relating to his and other high-ranking state officials’ usage of the state jet in the past.
Open government activists slammed the plan as among the worst proposed exclusions to the state’s celebrated Sunshine Law, while Democrats condemned it as a means to shield DeSantis’ activities from public scrutiny.
