Viva Las Vegas! Ron DeSantis continues national tour ahead of 2024

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is thus far coy about potential presidential ambitions, but his travel schedule is that of someone in the 2024 mix.

The latest evidence on that front is a fundraiser to be held later this month in Las Vegas. DeSantis, called “America’s Governor” by adherents and advocates, will grace the stage in Nevada on Friday the 13th.

DeSantis, of course, won’t be fundraising for himself: he will be there in support of Sen. Tom Cotton, the Arkansas firebrand whom some have suggested may be presidential timber himself. Also in attendance: former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, a long-standing friend of the Governor.

Of course, DeSantis is getting his flight time in, and forays out west have become more frequent. Just last week, DeSantis was in Salt Lake City addressing the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council, where he was clowning on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Dr. Anthony Fauci, as the local Salt Lake Tribune reported.

POLITICO, meanwhile, documented DeSantis “hopscotching” across Southern California in pursuit of platform and lucre. The same publication reports that reviews have been mixed, with the Governor not courting donors as well as he could, and one blind item quote urging him to be less “porcupine” and more “golden retriever.”

Worries about DeSantis’ prickliness notwithstanding, he is still a first-tier drawing card, and he knows it. In recent months, he has discussed his political future, all the while noting he is focused first and primarily on reelection.

“I get, probably everywhere I go, I get people that have all these ideas, and people can say what they want, but you know, we’ve got a lot to do here, so that’s the focus that I have, and we look forward to getting off and running for the 2022 cycle. Obviously, we’re planning a lot; we’re doing the stuff we need to do, there will be more coming in that regard. But look, at the end of the day, we’re really happy with the direction that the state is going,” DeSantis said in June, responding to questions about someone at an event who called him a “future world leader.”

In the same month, he was also tight-lipped on a cable news hit.

“I haven’t had any discussions with anybody beyond what we’re doing now,” DeSantis said, adding that the strategy is “one day at a time.”

DeSantis, according to oddsmakers, is a heavy favorite for reelection no matter who the Democrats nominate to replace him. And he’s positioned to be the 2024 Republican favorite if Trump fatigue eventually prevails.

“Punters are starting to abandon the idea of Donald Trump returning to the White House in 2024, and his odds have been eased out to 7/1 from 9/2 as a result,” said a spokesperson for one bookie. “Instead, support is starting to gather for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has moved into 9/2 from 11/2 to win the Republican race and 10/1 from 16/1 to be elected President.”

DeSantis, of course, is a strong fundraiser. Through June, his Friends of Ron DeSantis political committee had over $44 million on hand, well ahead of his potential Democratic challengers.