DeSantis Eyes Potential 2024 Run as He Hosts Major Event with Major Donors, Fellow Republican Governors

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) hosted a major event with top donors and fellow Republican governors as he eyes a potential 2024 presidential run, Politico reported.

DeSantis recently hosted dozens at an event in Ft. Lauderdale as he prepares for reelection and a possible jump into the 2024 field, according to Politico, which cited two people familiar with the event.

Attending the Ft. Lauderdale event were Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. Gubernatorial candidates who attended included Sarah Huckabee Sanders, running in Arkansas, Paul LePage, a former governor running again in Maine, as well as Nevada Senate candidate Adam Laxalt.

Lisa Boothe, Josh Hammer, and Buck Sexton were among the conservative commentators who attended the event, which included a speech a DeSantis and a “get to know you” session that included drinks and cigars.

DeSantis has not made any direct significant indication that he will be running for the Republican Party presidential nomination in 2024, though his name is floated as a likely possibility, along with former President Donald Trump, who has teased a possible run multiple times.

A New York Times/Sienna poll released this week showed 49 percent of Republican respondents named Trump as their preferred candidate for 2024, with DeSantis coming in at the runner-up position with 25 percent support.

Trump has already lashed out at the poll, releasing a statement calling the Times “Fake News” and the “enemy of the people,” implying the poll is false.

Asked about DeSantis potentially running in 2024, Trump has said multiple times he has a “good relationship” with the governor but has also taken credit for DeSantis’ rise to the national spotlight.

“I was very responsible for his success because I endorsed him and he went up like a rocket ship,” he told Newsmax last month.