A 2024 campaign bid for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is looming.
The governor plans to jump into the 2024 presidential race in the next two weeks, at least three sources with knowledge of the governor’s plans tell CBS News.
The DeSantis political operation is also expected to move its headquarters to a new location in Tallahassee on Monday, opening a window for the first federal election revelations for a possible DeSantis campaign in 2024, according to one of the people with knowledge of the movement.
This expected move was the first reported by NBC News.
Because the move from his current home to the Florida Republican Party office is likely to cost more than $5,000, it will open a 15-day period for DeSantis to file applications with the Federal Election Committee to register as to candidate and appoint. a main campaign committee.
Those filings would be the most official sign yet, on paper, of a 2024 presidential bid for the Florida governor.
A spokesman for DeSantis declined to comment.
“If you spend more than $5,000 to open your [2024] federal campaign headquarters, then you have taken official action to run for office. There’s no discussion as to whether that particular action reflects an intent to be a candidate or not, so he would be required to file that,” a campaign finance expert told CBS News on Saturday.
CBS News has previously reported that DeSantis is expected to officially launch a presidential campaign from Florida, though plans remain fluid, according to a person familiar with the governor’s planning.
Earlier this week, DeSantis also disassociated himself from his “Friends of Ron DeSantis” state political committee, which has more than $81 million in cash on hand. The move is a necessary step before a federal race, or money being transferred to a super PAC supporting a DeSantis 2024 run.
Since March, DeSantis has been traveling to several presidential primary states and battleground states to promote his recent book and his Florida track record, dubbed the “Freedom Plan.”
On Saturday, DeSantis was in Sioux Center, Iowa, to speak at the annual family picnic hosted by Rep. Randy Feenstra. It was greeted by more than 600 attendees who paid $50 each to participate in the event, which is raising money for Feenstra.
Before his remarks, DeSantis met with more than a dozen Iowa lawmakers behind closed doors Saturday morning in Sioux Center, according to a source who was present at the meeting. The source described the meeting with DeSantis as “informal but substantive,” adding that the governor was engaged and friendly.
A pro-DeSantis PAC, Never Back Down, is building a campaign infrastructure in Iowa and bringing on key staff, according to information first shared with CBS News. Iowa GOP political strategist and lobbyist Jake Highfill, who has worked with Iowa state lawmakers in recent years, has joined the team to help lead Iowa operations.
During DeSantis’ remarks, he praised his own accomplishments in Florida and joked that Florida is the “Iowa of the Southeast” because of how the two states similarly handled the COVID-19 pandemic and now address education issues.
The loudest applause came when DeSantis said he would “close the border immediately” to deal with illegal immigration.
In what could be seen as a shot at the former president, DeSantis, without mentioning Trump, said governing “is not about entertaining or building a brand or talking on social media,” adding that “it’s about winning and produce results”.
Trump had planned to hold a rally Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa, but canceled due to weather conditions, according to his campaign.
— Robert Costa contributed to this report.
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Aaron Navarro
