Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) leads former President Donald Trump in both a crowded field and head-to-head among Republican voters in California, as the governor is set to speak at a fundraiser for the Orange County GOP.
DeSantis leads Trump in a crowded field by 37%-29%, and he beats the former president by 50%-33% head-to-head, in a poll conducted by The Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies last month.
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The Sunshine State governor is coming to California next week to speak at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley at a sold-out fundraiser. The event is part of DeSantis's book tour, but it could be a chance to gain favor among Republicans in the Golden State ahead of an expected presidential run.
DeSantis has not announced a presidential run, insisting he is focused on governing Florida. However, he is expected to launch a bid in late May or early June, once the state legislative session concludes. Trump handily won California in the GOP primaries in 2016, but it was after all major candidates had dropped out.
The same survey indicates California remains safe territory for Democrats in the 2024 general election, with Biden leading DeSantis and Trump by 23 and 30 percentage points, respectively. The last time a Republican presidential candidate won the Golden State was George H.W. Bush in 1988.
DeSantis's popularity has increased among California Republicans, especially as Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has made the Florida governor his chief rival. Newsom ran television advertisements in Florida last July, telling Floridians to leave the state, arguing that in California, "we still believe in freedom." Later in 2022, Newsom sent a letter to the Justice Department demanding it prosecutes Florida and Texas over transporting immigrants to liberal areas, including New York City and Martha's Vineyard. At the time, DeSantis joked that Newsom's "hair gel was interfering with his brain function."
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Newsom has said he will not run for president in 2024, and his constituents do not seem to want him to run based on recent polling.
California's presidential primary elections for the Republican and Democratic parties are scheduled for March 5, 2024.