Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised the possibility of a 7-2 conservative majority on the Supreme Court.
His comments at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, came just before he is expected to announce his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
DeSantis noted that he could serve eight years if elected president.
"I think if you look over the next two presidential terms, there is a good chance that you could be called upon to seek replacements for Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito, and the issue with that is, you can't really do better than those two," DeSantis is quoted as saying by The Washington Post.
DeSantis suggested that Thomas and Alito, as well Chief Justice John Roberts and liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor, could require replacements over the next two presidential terms.
"So it is possible that in those eight years, we have the opportunity to fortify justices ... Alito and Thomas as well as actually make improvements with those others, and if you were able to do that, you would have a 7-2 conservative majority on the Supreme Court that would last a quarter century," DeSantis said.
DeSantis, if elected, could serve two terms in the White House, while former President Donald Trump could serve only one.
Trump is responsible for three conservative justices on the Supreme Court. Conservative leaders have hailed Trump for his appointments up and down the federal judiciary, according to the Post.
The Washington Post noted that DeSantis' speech on Monday provided a preview of the case he is expected to make to evangelical leaders, a key voting group in the Republican primaries.
The Washington Examiner reported that DeSantis also pointed out that he had championed the most pro-family tax code in the country. He also mentioned his support for Israel and slammed the movement to boycott and divest from the Jewish state.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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