Former President Donald Trump appears to be bypassing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in their quest for control of their home state's voters, with Trump's camp exploiting the divisions in the Republican Party to gain the upper hand.
The two, along with the rest of the GOP field, will address Florida Republicans Saturday at a state party event. DeSantis has a slot midday between Sen. Rick Scott and state Rep. Randy Fine, who recently accused the governor of not doing enough to stop antisemitism in Florida, reported CNN.
Both Fine and Scott have endorsed Trump's presidential candidacy. The former president will close out Saturday's event with the keynote address, before which two of his strongest allies in Florida, Reps. Byron Donalds and Matt Gaetz, will be speaking.
A few days later, on Wednesday, the GOP will hold its third presidential debate in Miami. Trump is skipping the debate in favor of an event in nearby Hialeah. And on Thursday, the former president will host Florida Republicans at his Mar-a-Lago estate, with DeSantis to attend fundraisers elsewhere.
Meanwhile, lawmakers will return to Tallahassee next week, at DeSantis' call, to pass sanctions on Iran after the Hamas attack on Israel and to address the state's property insurance crisis.
DeSantis' influence in the state, though, is taking hits, with some Republicans breaking from him less than a year after he won Florida's gubernatorial race with the strongest win in recent history.
However, Trump's lead in the early nominating states remains strong, with DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley fighting for a distant second-place position.
DeSantis' allies, meanwhile, are getting ready for more state lawmakers to switch their alliances to Trump, with one adviser saying the governor's camp is expecting as many as six more Republicans to flip to Trump.
State Sen. Joe Gruters, a former state party chair, is working to lure Republicans to Trump but concedes that most state GOP lawmakers will stay loyal to DeSantis, mainly because the governor has the authority for line-item vetoes.
State House Speaker Paul Renner, meanwhile, said most GOP lawmakers support DeSantis as he'll be able to carry the party's successes in Florida to a national level.
The governor's campaign also is insisting that he is well-positioned for a win in Florida, with spokesman Andrew Romeo noting he maintains elected officials' support "despite running against a de facto incumbent president."
"The governor will win his home state because Floridians want to see a fighter who will bring the same type of results-oriented leadership to Washington that he has provided in the Sunshine State," Romeo said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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