Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Iowa trip raises White House speculation

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Will he or won’t he run?

That continues to be the question as Florida’s governor departs for another out-of-state trip this weekend. Ron DeSantis is hitting Illinois Friday evening, then the key caucus state of Iowa on Saturday, only furthering speculation that a White House bid is right around the corner. 

Wthout saying so, DeSantis is giving every indication that he’s getting ready for a bid. He hasn’t given a firm “no” when asked, and has a new book laying out his political platform.

Post-legislative session, Florida governor is in the air again, this time to Iowa, making two Saturday stops. He’ll appear at a state GOP fundraiser in Cedar Rapids and a cookout with Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa.

 The official word is DeSantis is there to boost conservatives, not himself. 

“What’s next for me is to go through this budget that they passed,” DeSantis said on May 5 when asked about his political future.

Yet speculation over a White House run continues to grow, and DeSantis is now starting to lean in.

“I may have something to say about the overall landscape for ’24, but stay tuned on that,” DeSantis said on Thursday.

Ready and waiting is super PAC Never Back Down.

“I’ve never seen anybody do the things he’s doing and not get in,” said Ken Cuccinelli, a former Trump official and founder of Never Back Down.

Cuccinelli founded the PAC after the midterms, hoping to lay a political foundation for DeSantis and encourage him to jump in. 

The PAC already has one ad campaign running in early primary states like Iowa. It’s raised at least $30 million and even has people on the ground doing door knocks for DeSantis. 

“He’s the most popular Republican in America. I’m not talking about polling results. That will all come later,” Cuccinelli said. “But he is literally the most favorably viewed Republican in America today. Because people know he’s been doing such a great job.

But what about polling?

At the moment, the former president looks to be dominating. His campaign this week shared an Iowa survey showing DeSantis back 34 points. Though pundits suggest it means little. 

“This is way too early to be paying attention to polls,” said Dr. Susan MacManus, a Professor Emerita at the University of South Florida in Tampa. “I remind people that in 2019 there were 20 Democrats seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2020 election, and it was three states or four states into the primary system before Biden even had a shot.”

Speaking of Democrats, they and other DeSantis opponents are launching TV, digital, and radio ads to run in Iowa as the governor makes his stop. 

The five-figure ad buy will “introduce his extreme agenda to Iowans” said DeSantis Watch, and they’re not all the governor has to worry about. 

Former President Trump also hosting his own Iowa rally on Saturday in Des Moines. 

Once allies, the two have started taking shots at each other, with Trump now dubbing Florida’s governor “Ron De-Sanctamonious.”

What exactly Trump and DeSantis will say is another big question as we head into Saturday. 

While the governor has been more reserved with his criticism, Trump has taken the gloves completely off, alleging DeSantis running is an act of disloyalty.