For much of the past two years, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has shaped his political narrative with rapid-fire policy moves and a resounding reelection victory fueling his ascendency as a potential 2024 candidate and top primary rival to former President Donald Trump.
But as he steps out onto the national stage, DeSantis has hit a rough stretch, facing questions about his political strategy, policy stances and personal touch. Some allies have privately expressed concern about his contentious agenda, waffling on Ukraine and reserved response to Trump’s relentless assaults on his record. Several key donors have signaled they may hold back on contributions as he gets his footing. The murmurs reached a crescendo this week when Trump unveiled a series of endorsements from DeSantis’ home state just as the Florida governor traveled to DC to build support for his not-yet announced campaign.
The string of tough headlines continued Thursday morning as his administration scrambled to fire the individual responsible for waking millions of Floridians with a test of the emergency alert system at 4:45 a.m.
The intense scrutiny is illustrative of the expectations facing DeSantis as he positions himself for the biggest challenge of his political career, and it represents the first major test of whether the Florida governor can withstand the chatter and stick to his strategy to knock off the former president.
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched and you have people sort of panicking right now,” one Republican fundraiser in Florida close to the governor’s political operation told CNN.
Despite those concerns, DeSantis remains a formidable political force. His recent travels have attracted scores of Republicans intrigued by the governor’s track record of conservative victories in Florida. Without entering the race, polls continue to show he is currently the…
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