Will the 2023 legislative session be the 2024 launch pad for Gov. Ron DeSantis?

TALLAHASSEE, Florida. This week, former Republican Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina step in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries, adding fuel to the fire that Florida’s governor will be one of the next to jump. Although at the moment his lips are closed.

“Wish you knew,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said when asked about his presidential ambitions. earlier this week.

What we do know is that the Republican ticks off many of the items on the typical White House checklist. The book will be out soon, along with many out-of-state stops, including Texas, California, Alabama, and Illinois.

In addition, DeSantis is pushing for lawmakers to present a solid agenda for the upcoming legislative session.

Its goals are vast, and what the pundits say is stuffed with “red meat.” These include a containment of banking, a higher education ban on diversity, equity and inclusiveness programs, tort reform, increased defamation protections, a Digital Bill of Rights, and $2 billion in tax credits.

“Perhaps, if you are looking for a theme, we will continue to deliver results in the form of big changes that will make people’s lives better,” House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, said this week.

Renner believed the March session would solve many of Florida’s problems, including helping ease what members of both parties see as the state’s affordability crisis. But will their bills help one Floridian in particular create a presidential launch pad for DeSantis in 2024? Renner turned down the offer.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “I am delighted. I think we’re doing something that I’m very excited about, and the governor is also very excited about it. He got us through COVID so well and you saw the election results. People applauded it.”

However, political experts consider the meeting very important for the governor. They said it would be a chance to lay down GOP wins for his base if the Republican big majority delivers what is expected.

Relying on a session, there really is a price – time and money. Florida’s 60-day assembly will run until May, which could result in the White House’s DeSantis proposal being delayed until June or later. This will give other candidates a chance to join and start fundraising.

That’s not all.

DeSantis could face additional challenges as a new hurricane season approaches, and lawmakers may have to work overtime with an additional special session to adjust bills or address issues such as property insurance.

Meanwhile, the latest nationwide poll of Republican voters shows DeSantis enjoying solid support. Among Republican voters, Quinnipiac University gave him 36% to former President Donald Trump’s 42% when he was placed in a pool of 14 candidates. The gap was within 4% of the poll’s margin of error when it was narrowed down to just four candidates, with DeSantis registering 41% and Trump 43%.