You could say that the past two months have been unkind to prospective presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. Or you could say, after removing the varnish, that they may have been the worst two months for any national figure in recent political history. The Florida governor went from being tied or just ahead of Donald Trump to trailing him in every (even marginally credible) poll by 20 points or more.

That changed over the weekend. The Florida legislature wrapped up its 60-day session on Friday after compiling a breathtaking record of conservative accomplishment. Tort reform. School choice. Tax relief. A pushback on ESG from the pension system and CRT from the classroom. Bans on Chinese land purchases and “reassignment” surgery for minors. Serious efforts to lower drug prices without crimping research incentives, and to impose the death penalty more frequently for heinous crimes. All that and more.

Some will say, too much more. The only problem with a legislative supermajority is that, late in session, the reality dawns that leadership can pass almost anything. In the category of possible overreach, veteran Tallahassee watchers note the following:

This quibbling may turn out to be no more than quiddity. All in, the legislative session was one for the ages and it gives DeSantis that rare and immensely valuable political credential: He has walked the walk. If the states are indeed the laboratory of democracy, Florida has just become Palo Alto at the dawn of the silicon age.

When will DeSantis announce? That date is under D-Day-level wraps – yesterday, a senior Republican official asked me – but putting two and two together (and possibly getting five) I’m saying it will be the week of May 15.

For the DeSantis campaign, there are green shoots aplenty. Among the most salient:

Those of us who thought Trump would get a walkover may have to think again.