What a difference the midterms make. After saying just a few weeks ago that he wasn’t planning to run in 2024, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reportedly has a super PAC ready and raring to go.
John Thomas is the GOP strategist who had planned to roll out the Super PAC over the summer, but put those plans on hold after Trump-endorsed candidates cruised in the primaries. But the post-midterm picture has apparently changed things.
Back in August, Thomas posited that one thing that would have to happen if DeSantis were to pull the trigger on 2024 was that Trump-backed candidates would have to do poorly in November.
Couple that with DeSantis’ 20-point win in the Florida governor’s race, Thomas now says plans for the Super PAC are full speed ahead.
Ron vs. The Don.
So it’s a bad thing that DeSantis approved a Super Pac for his presidency? Why?
— / (@ra_fun) November 12, 2022
Putting Things Into Place
According to Thomas, “Ron to the Rescue” will be up and running before Thanksgiving. Not only will he be lining up donors, but there will also be ads being made that Thomas says will “start making some noise for the governor.”
Thomas continued, saying, “Not only are my original donors thrilled and jazzed to start cutting checks, but I’ve received some calls from very large law-enforcement unions that are going to throw in six figures to start, and lend me their name and credibility in the ads. There are public safety leaders that are longing for DeSantis’ leadership on crime and immigration. Some very large police groups.”
Thomas told Business Insider that several million-dollar donors are on board.
While DeSantis himself hasn’t announced anything, and he’s legally not allowed to coordinate with a super PAC, he can claim to be hands off while the actual campaign kicks off.
It was just two weeks ago that DeSantis or someone on his team told Vanity Fair that he was not going to challenge Trump in 2024.
If Ron DeSantis *is* the nominee, a lot of Democrats will have buyer’s remorse with Joe Biden topping the ticket in 2024. A Florida governor under 50 vs. a president turning 82 is a terrifying contrast for Democrats.
— Ross Barkan (@RossBarkan) November 13, 2022
RELATED: Democrats Retain Senate, Pushed To 50 By Nevada Win
Trump-DeSantis Fight?
Last week, The Political Insider put forth the idea that there would be no major squabble between Trump and DeSantis for a few reasons. Many of those points still hold up post-election. Some, not so much. Politics is the art of the possible, after all!
Trump’s comments referring to DeSantis as “Ron DeSanctimonious,” did not go over well with many of his supporters. A big reason for that is that for the most part, Trump supporters are also DeSantis supporters.
While a lot of Trump supporters would love to see a Trump-DeSantis ticket in 2024, there others who see DeSantis at 44 as a fresh face for the Republican Party and believe that if he waited until 2028, he would sail to the GOP nomination without a confrontation with Trump.
Again, DeSantis has made no announcements, and wisely has not engaged in a back and forth with Trump. There is also the question of optics. Joe Biden, at 80 years old, has said he intends to run for reelection in 2024. The contrast of DeSantis and Biden would be a powerful one.
The day before the election, at a rally in Dayton, Ohio, Trump stated that he would be making “a very big announcement” on November 15. It is assumed that he will announce a run for president.
Many in the GOP are calling for Trump to postpone any such announcements until after the December 6 runoff election in Georgia between Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker, but it appears the announcement will go forward.
I really don’t get the beef between Ron DeSantis and President Trump. Just wish it would stop. No time for this division,
— Lowkey Rey 2.0 (@AtlRey) November 11, 2022
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