Eyes on 2024? Ron DeSantis will meet with a Pennsylvania GOP group today

Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to address a local Republican group in Pennsylvania, first reported last month by the Philadelphia Inquirer. It’s a move that may further speculation about the Republican Governor’s potential 2024 presidential run.  

DeSantis is scheduled to speak to the Allegheny County Republican Party on May 20, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, which cites three unnamed Pennsylvania Republicans familiar with the plans. Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh, is the second most populated county in the state, which has become one of the leading battlegrounds for national elections. 

This trip would mark the second out-of-state visit made by the Governor this year. Back in January, DeSantis delivered a keynote address at a legislative policy conference in Austin, Texas. The Governor’s speech scrutinized perceived Big Tech censorship.

There’s growing popularity for a potential DeSantis presidential bid in 2024. Earlier this month, for the first time, the Florida Governor jumped ahead of Donald Trump in trades forecasting the winner of the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

DeSantis’ ascendance comes as Trump has struggled to maintain visibility amid a social media blackout, but it should not surprise those who have been tracking the enthusiasm of activists for the Governor in recent months.

DeSantis was the clear choice of activists at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, which drew a national crowd. Trump was the choice of 55% and DeSantis 21% if both men were running. But without Trump in the field, DeSantis was the choice of 43%, more than any other potential candidate.

The Governor markets himself as a common fixture on conservative media, including Fox News and Newsmax.

He addressed speculation on a potential presidential bid in one such appearance, saying that he’s “thinking about governing Florida and running for reelection in 2022,” before adding that “a lot of the speculation just goes back to what (host Greg Kelly was) saying, like people see me out here leading, and they like to see that in the Republican Party because, quite frankly, we need more Republicans to show some backbone.”