It has been reported that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the South Carolina State House on Tuesday to further his campaign for a Constitutional Convention on congressional term limits, which fueled further rumors that he is still aiming for the White House. Donald Trump has said DeSantis could be his VP.
Four days before the state’s Republican presidential primary on February 24, DeSantis traveled to address lawmakers in South Carolina. This was simply another instance of the governor trying to gain national attention even though he had dropped out of the race for president.
Since declaring his candidacy for president on January 21, DeSantis has persisted in concentrating on national concerns including the border crisis and changes to the federal government. The governor announced he is deploying more members of the Florida National Guard to the border.
Visiting South Carolina so close to the presidential primary raised questions about DeSantis’ motivations for the trip. Asked during Tuesday’s press conference if he was positioning himself for the 2028 presidential campaign, DeSantis said “It’s not about that.”
“When I was running I said I would use the bully pulpit to help do this,” DeSantis said. “Well now that we’re here where we are I’ve told folks that are supportive of the term limits movement ‘Put me in, if there’s a way I can be helpful, if it’s me going and speaking to different folks throughout the country that are in state legislative chambers I’m happy to do it.'”
In a press release afterward, the governor’s office said “DeSantis was invited by the U.S. Term Limits organization to travel to meet with legislative leaders to encourage the passage of state resolutions calling for term limits on members of Congress.”
DeSantis noted that he also was in Indiana on Thursday. Some have speculated that promoting the constitutional reforms could be a vehicle for DeSantis to stay in the national spotlight.
“I would say he’s waging a shadow campaign to preserve his eligibility for a presidential run,” said Gregory Koger, a University of Miami political science professor, told USA TODAY Network – Florida last month.
DeSantis also was asked Thursday about the primary race between Haley and Trump. He has endorsed Trump, and said he believes “the primary’s over.”
“It was clear to me after Iowa she just didn’t have support among Republicans,” DeSantis said of Haley, adding: “There’s no question that South Carolina is going to be a big victory for Donald Trump because he appeals to core Republicans in way that Nikki Haley just does not, or is not trying to.”
