Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is building momentum in the West. Over the weekend, he won a straw poll at 'the largest gathering of conservatives in the Western U.S.,' topping former President Trump.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ rising popularity in the region coincides with his ascent nationally with conservatives initially drawn to him because he largely kept Florida’s economy open during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. | Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesTALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is building momentum in the West, a region that’s home to a series of upcoming GOP primaries that will test Donald Trump’s hold on Republicans there.
“There is no real party standard-bearer at the moment, and DeSantis in many eyes is starting to define the post-Trump party,” said Tyler Sandberg, a veteran Republican GOP operative, based in Colorado. “He fights more about policy and less on his Twitter account.” DeSantis also recently vetoed $35 million for a new baseball stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays after the team tweeted support of gun reform. DeSantis hinted at the team’s “political activism,” but his office has said the veto was due to a general opposition to giving taxpayer dollars to sports teams, an assertion that has not stopped a wave of attention-grabbing headlines.
“My sense is there are two types of Trump supporters. Those who are with him and nothing else matters,” Jackson added. “And those who support Trump’s policy, but not the things the man says, and that might be a bigger group. DeSantis fits that bill well.” That loyalty to Trump will be tested this month during key GOP primaries that feature either Trump-backed candidates or those who the former president has not endorsed but clearly embrace the former president’s policies, including his unfounded contention the 2020 election was stolen.
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