DeSantis set to pay first public visit to South Carolina amid 2024 buzz
Ryan King
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Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is set to embark on his first public event in South Carolina of the year as 2024 speculations mounts.
State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, a Republican, invited DeSantis to a speaking event on April 19 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and has collaborated with a political action committee seeking to recruit him into the presidential contest. DeSantis attended a gubernatorial fundraiser near Charleston, South Carolina, last year.
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“I’ve told everybody associated with his team, ’You’ve got to get here early and often,’” Kimbrell told the Associated Press. “I’ve tried to make it clear to them that if you want to win, you’ve got to get here early.”
Over recent months, an entourage of 2024 hopefuls and speculated aspirates have made various stops in South Carolina, which is the third state on the GOP primary calendar following the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary election.
DeSantis has maintained a brisk travel itinerary as he tests the waters for a possible presidential run. So far, he has visited or plans to visit Iowa, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire, Utah, Texas, and Israel, among other states.
The Florida governor has been crisscrossing the country to promote his memoir, The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival, and touting the Sunshine State as a model for other states. The Trump campaign has accused him of mounting a stealth run for president.
South Carolina is home to declared Republican hopeful former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) and possible 2024 contender Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). This week, Scott is set to travel to Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, where he will deliver a “political update” to donors.
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DeSantis has widely been pegged as the top competitor against former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical GOP primary. He is expected to make his presidential intentions known at some point after the Florida state legislature wraps up its session in May.
“I believe that Ron DeSantis is as popular among my base as Trump is,” Kimbrell added. “But you can’t just mail it in. He’s going to have to press the flesh, roll his sleeves up, and get really serious.”