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Wearing black boots, jeans and an untucked shirt \u2014 the fundraiser’s dress code specified “ranch casual” \u2014 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday tried to woo Republican voters in Nevada still loyal to the former president Donald J. Trump that the party’s formula for winning the election was beyond its useful life.<\/p>\n
Headlining a conservative jamboree in the swing state, where loyalty to Mr. Trump is still deep, Mr. DeSantis never mentioned his rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination during a speech in Gardnerville, Nevada.<\/p>\n
But the Florida governor sought to draw a not-so-subtle contrast between himself and the former president, a former ally who is the party’s overwhelming favorite in a crowded Republican field. He described last year’s mid-term elections as another disappointment in a string of defeats for the party, while touting his margin of victory of more than 1.2 million votes in his re-election last November .<\/p>\n
“We developed a culture of losing in this game,” said Mr. DeSantis, adding, “You’re not going to get a mulligan in the 2024 election.”<\/p>\n
Mr. DeSantis spoke for nearly an hour at the Basque Fry, a barbecue fundraiser that supports conservative groups in Nevada.<\/p>\n
Steven Cheung, campaign spokesman for Mr. Trump responded to Mr. DeSantis in a statement to The Times on Saturday.<\/p>\n
“Ron DeSantis is a proven liar and fraud,” he said. “That’s why he’s collapsing in the polls, both nationally and statewide. He should watch out before his chances in 2028 disappear completely.”<\/p>\n
The Basque Fry has grown in stature since it was first held in 2015, drawing a stream of Republican presidential candidates to the Corley Ranch in the Carson Valley with its rugged Sierra Nevada backdrop.<\/p>\n
Past headliners have included Ted Cruz, Scott Walker, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who earlier this month entered the race, had been scheduled to attend in 2017 but canceled as Hurricane Harvey was barreling down the Gulf Coast.<\/p>\n
It’s a chance for White House hopefuls to pitch to grassroots conservatives in Nevada, a crucial early testing ground in 2021. replaced its party-run caucuses with primaries<\/a>. Republicans oppose the change, approved by the State Legislature, and they are sue the state to maintain the caucuses<\/a>.<\/p>\n The visit of Mr. DeSantis in Nevada marked a week in which Mr. Trump dominated the news cycle with his appearance Tuesday in a 37-count federal indictment over his handling of classified documents after leaving office.<\/p>\n As Trump’s main Republican rival, DeSantis did not mention the indictment directly, instead echoing GOP attacks on the Justice Department and pledging to replace the FBI director if elected.<\/p>\n “We will end the weaponization of this government once and for all,” said Mr. DeSantis.<\/p>\n In 2016, the last presidential election during which the GOP did not have a sitting president, Mr. Trump won the Republican caucuses in Nevada, where rural activists and Mormon voters wield influence. He finished 22 percentage points ahead of his closest challenger, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.<\/p>\n During last fall’s midterm elections, Mr. trump campaigned for Republicans in Nevada<\/a> at a rally in Minden, which is next to Gardnerville. The election turned out to be a mixed bag for the GOP, which flipped the governor’s office but lost key Senate and House races, including the seat held by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat who had been considered vulnerable<\/p>\n Ms. Cortez Masto’s defeat of Adam Laxalt, a former Nevada attorney general who was the de facto host of Saturday’s fundraiser, helped give Democrats outright control of the Senate.<\/p>\n Mr. Laxalt, who was Mr. DeSantis’ roommate when both were Navy officers, introduced him to the crowd of about 2,500.<\/p>\n “That’s the kind of leader we need,” he said.<\/p>\n Mr. Laxalt started the Alevins Basques in 2015, building on one tradition started by his grandfather<\/a>Paul Laxalt, a former US senator and governor of Nevada who died in 2018.<\/p>\n