Rumors continue to abound that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will enter the 2024 Presidential race as the election draws closer and presidential hopefuls hint at their aspirations to run.
So far, three candidates have come to mind for Republicans who are already searching for the person who will stand up for conservative values and defeat Joe Biden.
Former President Donald Trump has emerged as an early favorite, retaining the support of the conservative grassroots and seeing higher approval ratings since he left office in January of 2021.
DeSantis has consistently been a close second after making Florida a model conservative state with a 15-week abortion ban and the Parental Rights in Education bill, among other things.
Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley has also been considered by some activists and party insiders.
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Last month, DeSantis beat Trump in a straw poll conducted at the Western Conservative Summit in Colorado.
Attendees approved of a potential DeSantis candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination at 71%, with Trump coming in at 67%.
The summit, targeted more at conservative intellectuals, shows that DeSantis has started to gain favor with policy wonks in the party.
Among the grassroots, President Trump dominated in a straw poll conducted at the Turning Point USA summit in Orlando this weekend.
78.7% of attendees said they would vote for Trump compared to 19% who said they would vote for DeSantis. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem finished a distant third with 1% support.
While Trump and DeSantis have so far maintained a good relationship in public, some people have reported that there is a private rivalry brewing between the two.
Democrats have intentionally seized on the issue to sow discord between America’s two biggest conservative rockstars, with the Lincoln Project creating multiple advertisements aimed at undermining their relationship.
NEW: This week, to stoke a growing MAGA-on-MAGA fight between DeSantis and Trump, we are airing this ad in Palm Beach and Tallahassee.
It’s clear: Gov. DeSantis thinks he can take the MAGA base away from its founder; and Fox News thinks so too. pic.twitter.com/u8gICtW2WJ
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) January 19, 2022
Trump, for his part, believes that he would beat DeSantis if the two were pitted against each other in the 2024 Republican primary.
“I don’t know if Ron is running, and I don’t ask him,” Trump told the New Yorker magazine in mid-June. “It’s his prerogative. I think I would win,” he said.
DeSantis has repeatedly rejected rumors that he would run for President, saying that he is focused on re-election as Governor of Florida.
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