Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is hitting the road this week to publicize his new book, “The Courage to Be Free,” as his potential presidential campaign takes shape. And NBC News’ Ali Vitali reports that the book offers a preview of how DeSantis might address Trump on the campaign trail.
DeSantis mentioned Trump more than 100 times in the book, and he did not overtly criticize the former president, per Vitali and NBC’s Haley Talbot, Kate Santaliz, Emily Gold and Carrie Dann. Instead the book paints DeSantis as “a politically adept student ready to take the mantle— however unwilling his mentor is to give it to him,“ Vitali writes. She notes the book “praises Trump’s ability to channel the sentiments of the GOP grassroots and policies.”
The book underscores a pattern emerging on the presidential campaign trail, per NBC News’ Sahil Kapur: Republicans are hesitant to say where they actually differ from the former president.
But that hasn’t stopped them from courting different factions of the GOP. While Trump is slated to speak at this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference, others are skipping the event, NBC News’ Natasha Korecki and Jonathan Allen report. Some, including DeSantis, are instead heading to a donor retreat with the Club for Growth, a conservative group that has drawn Trump’s ire in the past.
In other campaign news…
A new Virginia cavalier?: The Dispatch reports that Club for Growth Vice President of Government Affairs Scott Parkinson is considering a Senate bid in Virginia against Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine.
Golden opportunity: Super PACs are gearing up to spend in California’s Senate race, which “could unleash a tsunami of outside spending,” per Politico.
On for more spending in Wisconsin: Fair Courts America, a conservative group funded by Richard Uihlein that’s backing the more conservative judicial candidate in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race, booked its first ad buy of the general election to the tune of almost $1 million Monday, per AdImpact. But the liberal-aligned candidate and an allied group booked more than $2 million, and they continue to hold a big ad-spending edge.
Speaking of that Wisconsin race: The closely watched state Supreme Court race could be affected by a state constitutional amendment also on the ballot in April relating to cash bail, which could boost conservative and independent voter turnout, NBC News’ Adam Edelman reports.
Shapiro talks Fetterman: Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro told NBC News’ Dasha Burns Monday that he thinks Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, who has sought in-patient treatment for depression, will return and “serve for a good long time.”
Disney’s whole new world: Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new bill that will allow him to appoint supervisors to the board that governs the district that houses Disney World.
Santos squabbles: New York Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito is out with a new bill that would limit House members convicted of various financial crimes from profiting off of their life story out of office, a bill Politico reports is targeted at the congressman’s fellow New York Republican, Rep. George Santos, who is the subject of a handful of investigations.
