On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) received an endorsement from Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY). “America needs a leader who is decisive, respects the Constitution, understands policy, puts family first, and leads by inspiring,” Massie said, “let’s choose Ron DeSantis for President.”

New: @RepThomasMassie endorses Florida Gov. @RonDeSantisFL, giving him his second House R endorsement.

“America needs a leader who is decisive, respects the Constitution, understands policy, puts family first, and leads by inspiring … let’s choose Ron DeSantis for President.”

— Mica Soellner (@MicaSoellnerDC) April 5, 2023

This is another impressive endorsement for Governor DeSantis, but it is not the only one. Back on March 15, DeSantis also got the endorsement of Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX). Along with other moves by DeSantis, the endorsements further demonstrate that DeSantis is slowly building up for a run for the presidency. 

Another sign of an impending run is the slate of legislative victories the Governor has sought to achieve in the current Florida legislative session. As Business Insider has noted, “It’s the Ron DeSantis show.” In the current legislative session, Desantis has passed, or seeks to pass, the legislation “to bar undocumented immigrants from getting in-state tuition, have supermajority — rather than unanimous — juries decide whether to invoke the death penalty, […] and ban China from buying Florida farmland and residences. DeSantis also has called for numerous tax cuts, particularly on needed items to help young families, and for measures that would increase price transparency on prescription drugs.”

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Some of these legislative items have already passed the Florida legislature. As The Tallahassee Democrat reported, DeSantis signed legislation for an expansion of the state’s school voucher program, an $800 million affordable housing plan, tort reform, and a permitless carry gun bill, while the Florida legislature is also moving on approving additional abortion restrictions, an expansion of the Parental Rights in Education Act, and many other legislative initiatives.

All of this looks very much like winning for conservatives. Additionally, DeSantis has the benefit of a new Super PAC supporting his potential presidential campaign, Never Back Down, which according to the New York Times, has raised $30 Million since March 9. As the report noted, “Fund-raising is expected to be a strength for Mr. DeSantis in a presidential contest, as a number of major Republican donors have expressed interest in him as a formidable challenger to the front-runner, former President Donald J. Trump.” All of these facts, plus the fact that, as John McCormack at National Review notes, DeSantis has been staffing his campaign organization, all seem to heavily indicate that a run is imminent by the Florida governor.

Nonetheless, there are some discouraging signs for DeSantis. Former President Trump has surged since his indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. As Dan McLaughlin noted on Twitter, “[DeSantis] problems right now are that there’s still a lot of Trump support, Trump is hogging the spotlight, & Trump’s indictment means a surge around him. But the campaign hasn’t actually started yet. He’s still on a strong starting block.”

His problems right now are that there's still a lot of Trump support, Trump is hogging the spotlight, & Trump's indictment means a surge around him. But the campaign hasn't actually started yet. He's still on a strong starting block. https://t.co/lSl0BVmGwJ

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) April 5, 2023

Every single "DeSantis is tanking" article and tweet is an attempt to create a narrative that DeSantis is collapsing… even though nothing has happened and his approval ratings continue to be through the roof

They're trying to create a self-fulfilling narrative

— PoliMath (@politicalmath) April 5, 2023

Nonetheless, Trump currently has momentum. Politico reports that as a result of his recent surge in polls, Trump has been making moves to peel away donors from DeSantis’ camp. It is also interesting to note that many Democrats seem to savor the chance to fight a general election against Trump. The Wall Street Journal reports that many Democrats think that Trump is the best possible opponent for President Biden in 2024.

Joe Wolf, a senior adviser to new Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) in her 2022 election, said about his preference to fight Trump, “It’s not that I’m afraid of DeSantis. To me more, it’s the devil you know.” Regardless, many Democrats are not so sure that Trump is easier to defeat than DeSantis. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) warned Democrats that “Last time people were rooting for Donald Trump, he ended up president of the United States. We’ve seen this story before.” In short, regardless of who ends up being the Republican nominee for president, it seems that the 2024 election will be a very unpredictable affair.