Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a presumed Republican presidential hopeful for 2024, heads to South Carolina later this month for his first visit to the key primary state.
The popular governor, who won reelection in the Sunshine State by 20 points in November, continues his national tour promoting his accomplishments.
DeSantis looks to build off that momentum when he visits South Carolina on April 19. The state hosts the South’s first primary next year and is considered extremely important for early momentum in the process.
His visit will be hosted by state Sen. Josh Kimbrell in the conservative upstate city of Spartanburg.
The governor has already been to several states, including New York and Pennsylvania.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is scheduled to make his first public visit to South Carolina, a critical 2024 primary state, later this month. https://t.co/jm3L9e3emd
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) April 10, 2023
Observers expected the Republican field to get more crowded in coming weeks and months. Former President Donald Trump was the first to throw his hat into the ring, and he was followed by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
There is speculation that former Vice President Mike Pence will also seek the GOP nomination, though he has yet to make it official.
The former president is considered the front-runner and consistently wins polls of potential matchups, but most believe the Florida governor is his strongest competitor.
As event organizer Kimbrell told the Associated Press in March, South Carolina voters are accustomed to meeting several candidates in person. He said he advised the DeSantis team that they need to be in his state “early and often.”
As for the former president, Democratic efforts to indict him out of the 2024 race appear to be backfiring. After the unprecedented actions by radical Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Trump enjoyed both a bump in presidential polling and a surge in small-donor donations.
