Memo: DeSantis shoots culture wars with 2024 in mind

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has unleashed flurry after flurry of culture wars, a strategy many Republicans see as an attempt to raise their profile and stand out from former Trumps ahead of a 2024 White House run.

Virtually everyone in political circles expects DeSantis to run for president.

Some of the provocative issues he touches on, especially those concerning race, could create problems in a general election. But DeSantis, who just won a big re-election victory in Florida, seems happy to take that chance for now.

On Monday, he defended a decision announced last week by the state Department of Education to reject a proposed advanced course in African American studies.

Critics called the move Orwellian racial harassment. But DeSantis placed the ban in the context of his general opposition to what he derides as “awakening,” insisting that “education is about the search for truth, not the imposition of an ideology or the promotion of a political program.”

This followed several steps catering to populist conservatives.

DeSantis has recently sought to make COVID-19-related mandate bans permanent — and make it harder for medical boards to reprimand dissenting doctors who are accused of spreading misinformation.

He requested and received last week from Florida State Universities a report on the money they are spending on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

He also requested pooled data from the same colleges on the treatment of students for gender dysphoria. And last month, the Florida Supreme Court granted his request for a grand jury to investigate any alleged wrongdoing related to COVID-19 vaccines.

Each of these moves attracted media attention and liberal outrage—and that, of course, is part of the heart of the matter.

“It all comes down to fighting the right intended opponents,” said GOP strategist Kevin Madden. “And if you’re in the very early stages of the 2024 primaries, it could be fighting the media or an educational institution, or fighting liberals driven by ‘political correctness’. ”

Madden continued: “There is some risk in that. Some issues play differently in the general election, as well as with suburban voters and more moderate voters. But when you’re trying to make a name for yourself and you’re at the breakthrough stage, you don’t think about it.”

DeSantis is by far Trump’s biggest challenger for the Republican nomination. Despite the former president leading most polls, Florida’s governor is well ahead of any other alternative.

For example, in an Economist/YouGov poll earlier this month, Trump received 44% support from registered voters in a hypothetical GOP primary, while DeSantis received 32%. The next best candidate, former Vice President Mike Pence, scored just 5 percent.

Rumor has it that DeSantis and his supporters see Trump’s vulnerability to COVID-19, especially given the skepticism expressed by many Republican voters about vaccines, masks, mandates and public health advice in general during the pandemic.

Trump has bragged about his administration’s role in accelerating the development of COVID-19 vaccines. But in late 2021, he was booed by the supportive crowd when he admitted he had received a booster shot.

DeSantis admitted he received the initial vaccination, but never seemed to say if he received a booster.

Republicans sympathetic to Trump do not tolerate what they see as DeSantis’ stance on the issue. They note that DeSantis was at one time a strong supporter of vaccination, and Trump himself was an opponent of mandates.

“DeSantis’ track record with COVID has been heavily whitewashed, which is very similar to Trump’s track record in many ways. The whole policy of DeSantis regarding vaccines was no different from the policy of Trump, ”said one of the activists of the Republican Party who supports Trump.

The pro-Trump operative, who was granted anonymity to speak frankly, also argued that DeSantis’ power could be weakened by a full-blown presidential campaign.

“Everyone in the country knows what they think of Donald Trump and their views will not change. Trump has a very specific level of support,” the source said. “Conversely, voters, including those who currently love him, do not have such a specific opinion about DeSantis. He has never proven he can take a punch to the face and he has a lot more room to fall than Trump.”

But DeSantis now has one big advantage that Trump doesn’t: he’s in office. This means he can wield real power and prove to conservative activists that he can put his money into what he says.

“He needs to strengthen himself with this low-profile Republican vote, and these cultural issues matter a lot. They are very emotional, and emotions determine the vote, especially in the primaries,” said GOP strategist Keith Naughton.

By leveraging power, Naughton added, DeSantis gets to play one of his best cards — the argument that he brings competence as opposed to Trump’s chaos.

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“Trump is amazed at his track record in his administration,” Naughton said. DeSantis is “trying to outdo Trump on the subject.”

Whether this will work remains to be seen. But the first shots of the 2024 primaries are already ringing.

A memo is a column written by Niall Stanage.

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