DeSantis presidential campaign: Florida legislative session ends

Florida’s legislative session is set to end Friday, capping a 60-day Republican blitz to send major bills to Gov. Ron DeSantis as he sets the tone for his anticipated presidential campaign announcement.

DeSantis, who is widely seen as former President Donald Trump‘s top rival for the 2024 Republican nomination, has long been expected to reveal his political plans after the session adjourns. He could announce a presidential exploratory committee as soon as mid-May, NBC News reported last week.

If he enters the race, DeSantis will ride into the presidential fray on a wave of new state policy that enacts much of the governor’s conservative wish list.

Florida’s GOP supermajorities in the House and Senate largely made good on their promise to get DeSantis’ agenda “across the finish line,” passing bills on issues ranging from abortion to guns to school vouchers.

The Legislature leaned into polarizing cultural fights that have helped elevate the governor nationally, bolstering his efforts to craft an image of a leader who takes on hot-button topics and delivers conservative outcomes. Measures such as the restrictive abortion law DeSantis signed could help him in a GOP primary, but may reduce his appeal in a general election.

Lawmakers have also passed multiple measures that could help clear DeSantis’ path to the White House, if and when he decides to run.

The Legislature voted last week to carve out a DeSantis-shaped exemption to the state’s “Resign-to-Run” law, by allowing candidates for president or vice president to run without giving up their jobs in Florida. Another measure effectively shields DeSantis’ travel records from public view.

“The entire session was focused on Governor DeSantis’ run for president,” said Jim Clark, a University of Central Florida senior lecturer and political commentator, in an interview. “The legislature gave him 99% of what he wanted.”

While a Republican trifecta has empowered DeSantis in Florida, he has come under heavy fire from Trump and appears to be trending lower in polls of the possible primary field, raising questions about his appeal outside his state.

“It seems to me that the more the voters get to know Ron DeSantis, the more problems he has,” Clark said.

The 2024 contest is in its early stages, as more candidates trickle into the primary months before the…