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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gathered about 100 top supporters and donors over the weekend at South Florida’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino to say “thank you” — and to foreshadow what might be next. DeSantis supporters see those moves, along with the weekend event at the Hard Rock, as clear signs the Florida governor is once again eyeing a White House bid. The main event Saturday evening featured DeSantis speaking with Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., He needs to repair his image nationally,” said one of the attendees. “I don’t know anyone is going to be like...

By KIMBERLY LEONARD 04/06/2024 09:38 PM EDT HOLLYWOOD, Florida — Ron DeSantis is making nice with his most loyal donors and, at least over the weekend, ignored Donald Trump. During a retreat in South Florida for the governor’s donors that featured golf, cigars and spa time, and little mention of the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee, DeSantis thanked and wooed the people who most avidly supported his presidential run. Part of the weekend was also to brainstorm how he could keep Florida front and center in the conservative movement with more than 2 and a half years left as governor. Robert...

PALM BEACH, Fla. (NewsNation) — With dueling events this weekend, some of the nation’s biggest GOP donors will have to choose between former President Donald Trump or former presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump is expected to attend a major joint fundraiser between his campaign and the RNC on Saturday. A campaign source confirmed to NewsNation that it will be hosted at a private residence in Palm Beach. Expectations are high for Trump to offset President Joe Biden’s recent $25 million fundraiser, with the Trump campaign anticipating an estimated $43 million fundraising haul Saturday. That’s an effort that could...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Squatters beware. Florida's latest law makes it easier to remove those illegally staying on private property. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 621 into law Wednesday, eliminating squatters' rights in the state. "We are putting an end to the squatters scam in Florida," DeSantis said. "While other states are siding with the squatters, we are protecting property owners and punishing criminals looking to game the system." DeSantis said the law provides homeowners with remedies against squatting and increases penalties for squatters.

In a WINK News exclusive, she announced a $60,000 dollar donation to several nonprofits

Sylvester Stallone recently announced that he and his wife Jennifer Flavin had decided to permanently move from California to Palm Beach, Florida. As he addressed his three daughters in a scene on the reality show “The Family Stallone,” the iconic actor said: “After long, hard consideration, your mother and I have decided, time to move on and leave the state of California permanently, and we’re going to go to Florida.” The likely reasons involve three main factors: a change of scenery, a less crime-infested environment and a lowering of their state tax burden. Whatever the real motivations, what was of...

DeSantis began 2023 as the best positioned Republican candidate to challenge Trump for the party's presidential nomination, according to polling tracked by 538. But he begins 2024 as another name on the growing list of rivals who failed to shake the former president's popularity among the GOP --- DeSantis' early actions since leaving the race have already sparked speculation that the governor, who is only 45, could make another White House run in the future. A source close to him said that he has privately expressed interest in running again as early as 2028 and has brought it up as...

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) seems to have disappeared from the airwaves in early primary states despite his commitment to stay in the 2024 race. After losing to former President Donald Trump in the Iowa Republican caucuses Monday, coming in a distant second, DeSantis does not have any ads running in New Hampshire, South Carolina, or Nevada, according to ad tracking services. Not only has his campaign apparently gone silent, but the various super PACs supporting his 2024 bid have also vanished from television in the early nominating states.

This is the second lopsided poll of Hawkeye State Republicans this week. Ron DeSantis keeps saying he’s “sick” of the polls lately, but a new Iowa survey probably won’t let the healing begin. On the heels of a poll showing Donald Trump with a 32-point lead over the Florida Governor ahead of the Jan. 15 caucuses, a new Civiqs-conducted survey from Iowa State University shows an even bigger lead for the former President, with 54% of the 438 respondents saying they would caucus for Trump. DeSantis is the choice of 17% of those polled, actually losing a point since the...

Casey DeSantis, wife of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, said the quiet part of their campaign strategy in Iowa out loud on Friday, urging out-of-state “Mamas for DeSantis” members to take part in the upcoming Iowa Caucus. The comments were made during an appearance on the Fox News Channel alongside her husband. Mrs. DeSantis said the group was collectively encouraged to “descend upon the state of Iowa to be a part of the caucus.”The Iowa GOP was forced to issue a statement pointing out that only legal Iowa residents could vote in the caucus and reminded voters to bring a photo...

We've received many calls, texts, and messages after Casey DeSantis encouraged mothers and grandmothers from across the country to come to Iowa to caucus for her husband, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in an interview on Fox News.The Republican Party of Iowa has confirmed you must be a LEGAL RESIDENT OF IOWA and the precinct you live in and bring a photo ID with you to participate in the #IowaCaucus. Iowans participate in the Iowa Caucus. Not residents of other states.

During a Fox News interview, the Florida governor’s wife, Casey DeSantis asks voters from all over America to descend on Iowa and caucus in support of Ron. Casey remarks, “You do not have to be a resident of Iowa to be able to participate in the Caucus.” You cannot legally caucus vote for a candidate in Iowa without being an Iowa resident. Notice how Ron just sits there and lets Casey say something that is transparently false. Martha MacCallum just sits there like a potted plant on behalf of Fox News. Unreal.

“I stand 100% alongside this wonderful woman & her husband, @RonDeSantis, because they are truly good & decent people,” Roy posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in response to a tweet from Florida first lady Casey DeSantis. “America needs THAT again.”

Chris Jankowski stepped down Wednesday, just days after a brawl nearly broke out at one of the super PAC’s group strategy meetings as the Sunshine State governor has sunk in GOP primary polls. Never Back Down board member and DeSantis confidante Scott Wagner reportedly had to be physically restrained from going after one of the group’s political consultants, Jeff Roe, the founder of Axiom Strategies. The Florida governor and his wife, Casey DeSantis, have grown increasingly frustrated with Never Back Down’s leadership, according to the outlet. The super PAC is no longer running ads in Iowa amid concerns that voters...

Leaders of Ron DeSantis' Never Back Down super PAC met privately last Tuesday to hash out a strategy for fighting Nikki Haley's rise. Instead, two of them nearly came to blows with each other. The infighting represents an escalation in the long-running war between Never Back Down's professional political operatives and DeSantis’ Tallahassee-based inner circle over who is to blame for the governor’s failure to compete effectively with frontrunner Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. And, after tempers flared at last week's meeting, three close DeSantis allies — David Dewhirst, Jeff Aaron and Scott Ross — launched a second super...

Palmetto State voters are backing the Bamberg native over the Florida Governor. A new poll from the Palmetto State finds Florida’s Governor in a distant third place in the pivotal early Primary state. A CNN survey of 738 likely Republican voters conducted from Oct. 18 through Oct. 25 shows Ron DeSantis with just 11% support, far behind former President Donald Trump (53%) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (22%). While the good news is that other candidates are in single digits — including U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (6%), Chris Christie (2%), and Vivek Ramaswamy (1%) — this survey is...

Three professional bootmakers told Politico Magazine they believe Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is likely wearing lifts in his boots following his viral interview with podcaster Patrick Bet-David, who brought up allegations that he has heels inside of them. In the article published Tuesday, Politico Magazine’s Derek Guy noted that three bootmakers, including Zephan Parker, who owns the Houston, Texas-based Parker Boot Company, said that DeSantis’s boots are altered to accommodate lifts. “I’ve dealt with these politicians many times,” Parker told the outlet. “I’ve helped them with their lifts. [DeSantis] is wearing lifts; there’s no doubt.”“3 Expert Shoemakers Say Ron DeSantis...

'Why didn't Trump do something about it?' An incredulous Ron DeSantis is yet again addressing the former President’s contention that the 2020 election was “stolen,” saying that’s an “untenable position.” Speaking at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics’ “Politics and Eggs” event, the Florida Governor didn’t hold back when asked to evaluate Donald Trump’s ongoing contention that he didn’t lose fairly to Joe Biden. “If that is true, he was the sitting President of the United States and let that happen to him. I would never let that happen. As Governor, would I just sit there and let something like...

There was an eight-point swing to former President Donald Trump away from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) among likely Republican primary voters after Wednesday night’s second debate. Two days before Wednesday’s debate, Trump had 58 percent support in Morning Consult’s poll. After the debate, where he did not appear, Trump’s support surged to 63 percent.On the other hand, DeSantis fell three points in the poll, down to 12 percent from the 15 percent he held on Monday.Trump now holds a 51-point advantage over DeSantis, according to Morning Consult’s poll.“The sizable shift from Monday to Thursday is notable compared with what happened...