With speculations over his 2024 political aspirations continuing to mount, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is headed to Orange County. And it shouldn’t come as a major shock.
DeSantis is slated to appear at a reception and dinner hosted by the Republican Party of Orange County on March 5 — on the heels of multiple fundraisers he is headlining for county Republican parties in Texas and after a visit earlier that day to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.
DeSantis hasn’t formally announced a 2024 presidential bid, but former President Donald Trump launched his third run for the White House in November. Nikki Haley, the former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor, is expected to announce her candidacy later this month.
DeSantis’ visit is a reminder of the role Republican voters have in determining a presidential candidate — when they may otherwise feel overlooked in such a blue state.
Start with the cash.
“Orange County is oftentimes considered an ATM machine for national candidates because millions of dollars are raised out of Orange County for national Republican candidates, including Gov. DeSantis,” said Jon Fleischman, the former executive director of the California GOP.
DeSantis, in 2022 amid his gubernatorial reelection battle on the opposite end of the country, raked in more than $6.5 million from California, according to OpenSecrets, a campaign finance tracking source.
Trump, in 2020, raised more than $92.1 million in California. Newport Beach, where he held a fundraising event that October at billionaire Palmer Luckey’s Lido Isle home, was among the top 45 ZIP codes — in the country — where he received the most money, the data shows. Trump also campaigned in Orange County in 2016.
Then there’s the timing of California’s Republican presidential primary.
California will hold its presidential primary on March 5 — considered to be Super Tuesday, the day when many states hold their elections. It’s an opportunity for…
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