Ron DeSantis tells Nevadans that Florida also has ‘disaffected Californians’ moving to the state

Ron DeSantis thinks Florida and Nevada have one thing in common: California transplants.

During a Saturday morning fireside chat hosted by Never Back Down in Las Vegas at the Treasure Island Casino, the Florida Governor and 2024 presidential candidate discussed the influx of people from the Golden State to his state and the state in which he’s campaigning Saturday.

“Florida and Nevada have one thing in common. We both are now places where disaffected Californians seem to move to,” DeSantis remarked.

“You all have been having that for a long time. We just now in the last three or four years have started to see that big time.”

DeSantis offered yet another preview of his Nov. 30 debate with California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

He rebutted the framing that “this is the debate between, you know, who’s better, California or Florida” because that “debate is over because people have voted with their feet.”

“They have left there. They’ve moved here, they’ve moved to Florida, in really record numbers,” DeSantis remarked.

Though DeSantis hasn’t been to Nevada, an early caucus state, since the summer, he merits credit for consistency as he recycled this riff from his last visit.

“We are both areas that receive a lot of disgruntled Californians,” DeSantis said at the Basque Fry.

“It’s actually kind of new for us. Y’all have been having that for many, many years. I was born and raised in Florida. I don’t think I ever saw a California license plate all the time I was growing up. And why would you? I mean, they’ve got great stuff there.”

Disgruntled new residents notwithstanding, all indications are that DeSantis will struggle to get delegates from Nevada.

An October survey of 400 likely Republican Primary voters in Nevada, commissioned by the Republican Main Street Partnership and Women2Women and conducted by The Tarrance Group, shows the Florida Governor at 11%, tied with Vivek Ramaswamy. The two candidates, meanwhile, are way behind former President Donald Trump and his formidable 60% support.

Another recent poll of 650 likely Nevada Republican caucusgoers from CNN shows the Florida Governor with 13% support, with Trump at 65%.

The opinion polls are essentially beauty contests, however, given that all 26 delegates (roughly 1% of the total for the GOP) the state will offer next February will be allocated via a caucus vote which is two days after the popular vote.