(AP) — Inside the Florida statehouse, Gov. Ron DeSantis' Republican allies say they're working “at warp speed” to finish their legislative business.
In South Carolina and Nevada, early voting states that are critical in a presidential primary, his operatives are moving quickly to build out a political team that is essentially a campaign in waiting. And in Washington, his most vocal supporters are urging him to announce his White House intentions now.
Just six months after a dominant reelection sent his national stock soaring, a palpable sense of urgency is growing among DeSantis' allies as increasingly emboldened critics within his own party — particularly former President Donald Trump — work to undermine his presidential campaign before it begins.
Questions about DeSantis' apparent slide followed him to Japan on Monday as he launched a multi-country international trade mission.
"I'm not a candidate, so we'll see if and when that changes," the Florida governor told reporters in Tokyo.
The answer, a consistent refrain from DeSantis for much of the year, is frustrating some allies who worry that it's time to move even faster.
“I would prefer him to be in the race right now. In fact, I encouraged him to get in the race right now,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who hosted a visit by DeSantis to Washington last week that was overshadowed by Trump's efforts to pick off support among Florida's congressional delegation.
In an interview, Massie, who is one of just three members of Congress who has endorsed DeSantis for 2024, acknowledged the governor is losing some political strength.
Many GOP voters have rallied behind Trump in the wake of his recent criminal indictment in New York. Some DeSantis donors are pausing their donations, citing concerns about his readiness for the national stage. Other would-be supporters have begun to worry that the policy victories he celebrates in Florida — including the six-week abortion ban he signed earlier in the month and an ongoing crackdown on Disney, the state’s largest employer — may ultimately become political liabilities.
“If there is any urgency, it’s to make sure no third-place candidate emerges. Right now, it’s a heads-up race between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis,” Massie said. “The urgency I feel is, the more cats and dogs that get in the race, the more they could siphon from Ron DeSantis.”
The Republican Party won't formally choose its next presidential nominee until August of next year at its national convention. But with the first presidential debate little more than three months away, several Republicans have launched campaigns already. More are expected to join in the coming weeks.
DeSantis, who has operated for much of the year with a quiet confidence that he could enter the race on his terms, isn't likely to make any announcements until after the state legislature concludes its business in early May. Some allies initially believed he might wait until as late as early summer to enter the race, but with the political landscape shifting, they now expect him to announce as early as the week of May 8, but more likely around the end of the month.
Technically, DeSantis couldn't enter the 2024 presidential contest now even if he wanted to because the Republican-controlled state legislature has yet to overturn Florida's so-called “resign to run” law, which bars officials from seeking one office while holding another. Republican House Speaker Paul Renner said last week that he’s confident the change would make it through the Legislature in the coming weeks.
As DeSantis prepares to launch, the Republican statehouse supermajority has worked at a rapid pace to carry out the governor’s conservative cultural agenda. In a sign of their ongoing compliance, lawmakers last week began to move legislation that would further solidify DeSantis’ control of Disney World’s governing body, the latest spat in the Republican governor's extraordinary feud with the private business.