Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will meet behind closed doors with a select group of congressional Republicans on Tuesday evening in Washington as he seeks support from within his party to challenge Donald Trump for the GOP nomination in 2024.
For DeSantis, the trip brings him to the doorstep of an institution he served for nearly three terms – an experience he detested, according to his recent book. He called Congress a “grotesque” place where “members are focused not on accomplishing anything meaningful” and boasted about his lack of effort climbing the leadership ladder or building alliances.
“I was also not there to socialize, let alone be a fixture on the DC social circuit,” he wrote in “The Courage to be Free.”
But, now on the precipice of a 2024 presidential campaign, DeSantis’ lack of inroads there are sending troubling signals to political supporters. Hours ahead of his meeting with congressional Republicans, Florida Rep. John Rutherford endorsed Trump, making him the sixth House Republican to back the former president over their home state governor. Additionally, Florida Rep. Brian Mast told CNN ahead of the meet-and-greet that he planned to back Trump.
NBC reported last week that DeSantis’ political operation was scrambling to convince Florida Republicans not to endorse until after he had formally decided to run.
Florida Rep. Greg Steube, who endorsed Trump on the eve of the governor’s visit, told the Sarasota Herald Tribune five days ago that DeSantis’ team had attempted contact with him, yet added: “When we are ready to endorse a candidate for president, we will.”
The attempt to slow momentum for Trump began in earnest after Rep. Byron Donalds announced he was getting behind the former president, according to sources close to undecided Florida Republicans. That endorsement “sent shockwaves through the entire…
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