Ron DeSantis' next seven weeks

By Kimberly Leonard

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, second from left, joins Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on stage during a rally, Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. | Bryon Houlgrave/AP

Good morning and welcome back.

Now begins the post-Thanksgiving sprint.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has just seven weeks left in his long-shot bid to try to turn things around ahead of the Iowa Caucuses, in what conservative commentator Karl Rove told Fox News was a “do or die” moment for the Florida governor given his dire polling in next-up New Hampshire and South Carolina.

But before diving into that, a quick look back at the last few days. 

DeSantis’ presidential bid took a step backward shortly after he netted a key endorsement from Iowa Evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats. Last week, Chris Jankowski, the chief executive of the Never Back Down super PAC supporting DeSantis’ candidacy, resigned, The New York Times reported. Jankowski said it had become “untenable” for him to help elect DeSantis as president “given the current environment” and major differences with the team beyond those of “strategic opinion.”

Looking ahead, DeSantis and seven other Republicans have already qualified to make Florida’s March 19 primary ballot, reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. The parties have until Thursday to submit their list of primary candidates to state election officials, and candidates can still withdraw their names from the primary ballot up until Dec. 12.

Also on Thursday, DeSantis is debating Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California. Newsom is one of DeSantis’ most vocal critics, and while neither of them are expected to be at the top of the ticket in 2024, California-based GOP strategist Rob Stutzman predicted the face off would be good for both governors.

“They’re playing to two different bases,” he said. “They can go out and beat each other on red versus blue — and both win.”

While Fox News moderator Sean Hannity’s focus will be on exploring state divides, the governors’ goals will be to spotlight 2024, POLITICO California’s Christopher Cadelago reports.

DeSantis will then cap off the week by visiting Jasper County, Iowa, on Saturday, where he’ll celebrate campaigning in all 99 counties in the state — mirroring what Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has done for the last four decades. While the strategy doesn’t seem to have made a dent in DeSantis’ polling, it’s the same approach he highlighted when he was running for reelection as governor of Florida and visited all 67 counties here.

In his final Iowa stop, DeSantis will appear alongside Iowa GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds to help showcase how he got her coveted endorsement. Collecting big endorsements is all part of a familiar pattern for DeSantis’ political successes, dating back to his very first congressional run when he faced off against six primary opponents and got big names behind his little-known candidacy.

But should the polls bear out, DeSantis is more likely to remain governor of Florida. He hasn’t released any proposals for new laws for the forthcoming session that starts Jan. 9, but it’s getting to be around that time of year when he would do so, and when he would also be expected to release his budget proposal for the state.

— WHERE’S RON? Nothing official announced yet for Gov. DeSantis. He spent Thanksgiving with his family.

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TODAY — Federal Judge Mark Walker is holding a scheduling conference regarding a lawsuit against DeSantis for his edict to have organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine kicked off Florida universities. The ACLU-backed lawsuit asks for an injunction on DeSantis’ order and accuses the governor of censorship. Walker is a former President Barack Obama appointee who has a history of ruling against DeSantis, including on “anti-riot” legislation.

IN DEPTH — ‘This guy is a charlatan’: University of Florida turns against Joe Ladapo, reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. Ladapo’s work at UF has generally escaped scrutiny. Yet interviews with more than two dozen current and former faculty members, state lawmakers and former agency heads, as well as reviews of internal university emails and reports, show that staff was worried that Ladapo had bypassed a crucial review process when he was rushed into his coveted tenured position and, moreover, was unsuited for the position.

FOLLOW UP — Last week Playbook reported on a new bill from GOP state Rep. Ryan Chamberlin that targets gender identity in the workplace but didn't include comments from the lawmaker because he hadn't replied at the time the newsletter was sent.

The bill would affect pronoun use and identity in the workplace, particularly for transgender and nonbinary workers. In an email, Chamberlin said one of the bill’s purposes was to prevent employers from forcing workers to undergo “woke ideology training” as a condition of employment and said he’d had “many interactions” with employers who “who feel that they are being bullied into adopting woke and radical LGBT ideology with which they do not agree.” The legislation specifically targets government employers, but Chamberlin didn’t cite specific localities that have implemented such practices.

“We need protections for those workers,” he said, adding that he thought there would be a “wide range of support” in the Legislature. (The bill doesn’t have a state Senate companion.)

Asked what he would say to those who are concerned about the bill, he replied that he thought private organizations could do as they pleased. The bill encompasses local governments as well as organizations that get funding from states, such as nonprofits and contractors. “As soon as any company receives taxpayer funding to support their organization they now have accountability to those providing that funding,” he said. “They are always free to seek funding elsewhere and run their business however they wish.”

FDLE RECORDS — “When Peter Antonacci was stricken in governor’s office he lay in hallway 24 minutes before anyone noticed,” reports the Florida Bulldog’s Dan Christensen. “DeSantis’s handpicked choice last year to lead the state’s controversial new elections fraud office collapsed and died in a hallway in the governor’s office moments after ‘abruptly’ leaving a contentious meeting on Sept. 23, 2022. That Antonacci, 74, was stricken in the governor’s office was kept secret at the time. Instead, authorities only said he died while at work in the Capitol building, of which the governor’s office is a part.”

Tourists look on as a cruise ship prepares to get underway in Key West, Florida. | AFP via Getty Images

ALL ABOARD — “DeSantis faces critical decision on cruise ships in Key West,” reports The New York Times’ Frances Robles. “The wealthy hotelier who operates Key West’s cruise ship port is … asking the state for permission to expand, which would allow bigger ships with more passengers to operate legally out of the port. The issue will soon land on the desk of DeSantis, who has received nearly $1 million in campaign donations from the pier’s owner. It represents a tough balancing act for the Republican governor, a 2024 presidential candidate who has touted his environmental record but has also been a booster of Florida’s tourism industry.”

KINGDOM CONTROL — “Proposed bill, ballot initiative seek to undo DeSantis’ Disney district takeover,” reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Skyler Swisher. “State Sen. Linda Stewart is preparing to file a bill that would repeal DeSantis’ takeover of Disney World’s special district, part of a push to sway the Florida Legislature to revisit the issue. Meanwhile, a group called the Disney Defenders is making a long-shot effort to get the issue on Florida’s 2024 ballot … State Sen. Gruters, R-Sarasota, signaled in a text message to the Orlando Sentinel that he would be open to supporting the bill. Gruters broke ranks with his party and sided with Disney in April, voting against an amendment that sought to void Disney’s control over development in Central Florida.”

UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE — GOP states are embracing vouchers. Wealthy parents are benefitting, reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. With enrollment surging in these programs — which Republicans say shows how desperate families are for more education choices — early data shows that students in some of these states aren’t leaving their public schools for private options. Instead, most scholarships are going to incoming kindergarteners and students already enrolled in private schools.

— “Making the case for Florida school vouchers: One child’s story,” by The Tampa Bay Times’ Jeffrey S. Solochek

GUN SAFETY BILL — “Stray bullet bill gains support after injuries in South Florida,” reports the Palm Beach Post’s Mike Diamond. “A state Legislature bill to require target shooters to keep their bullets within the confines of their properties is gaining support. Nicole Adams, the woman who was recently injured when a stray bullet struck her in the back, pleaded with Palm Beach County commissioners on Nov. 7 to endorse a bill sponsored by state Rep. Katherine Waldron, D-Wellington. ‘They can't hit a golf ball onto my property, but they can fire a bullet,’ said Adams. ‘It makes no sense.’”

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ENDED — “onePulse trustees vote to dissolve nonprofit after plans for Pulse memorial falter,” reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Amanda Rabines. “The organization’s board of trustees voted behind closed doors to begin the process of transferring its assets to Orange County and the city of Orlando and dissolving the nonprofit corporation, according to a statement shared with the Orlando Sentinel. As the death knell for onePulse began to sound in recent weeks, local leaders have said they are determined to see the memorial, at least, brought to fruition even without its best-known champions.”

ENVIRONMENT — “Sea turtle nests break records on US beaches, but global warming threatens their survival,” reports the Associated Press’ Curt Anderson. “This year, record nesting was found in Florida and elsewhere despite growing concern about threats from climate change. In Florida, preliminary state statistics show more than 133,840 loggerhead turtle nests, breaking a record set in 2016.”

Gavin Newsom answers questions during a news conference, Sept, 26, 2023, in Sacramento, Calif. | Rich Pedroncelli/AP

THURSDAY — “Is Newsom losing political momentum as debate with DeSantis nears?” asks McClatchy's David Lightman. “Newsom is still a rising political star, but his path to national prominence has gotten rocky as he heads into his debate Thursday with DeSantis. His approval rating has sunk. He faces questions about his trip to China and the collapse of a major freeway in downtown Los Angeles. He angered longtime labor supporters by vetoing two bills they wanted, including one that would have provided strike benefits to jobless workers.”

UNRELENTING — “Why everyone is still piling on DeSantis,” by Semafor’s Shelby Talcott. “We take hits at DeSantis, and we’ll always continue to do that, no matter what,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told Semafor. “He made a disloyal decision to run against President Trump, and that’s a decision he’s going to have to live with for the rest of his life. Ron is going to get got.”

ANOTHER FLORIDA MAN — “Air Force Reserve major and Florida businessman David J. Stuckenberg is entering a crowded race to become the next Republican presidential nominee — less than two months ahead of the Iowa Caucuses,” reports the Des Moines Register’s Virginia Barreda.

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