Florida stands to be the epicenter for another Republican civil war two and a half years after Gov. Ron DeSantis challenged President Donald Trump in his bid to retake the White House.

DeSantis will be leaving the governor’s mansion at the end of his second term next year, and Rep. Byron Donalds is the apparent frontrunner to replace him, having already received Trump’s endorsement. Donalds has one primary challenger: Paul Renner, the former speaker of the Florida House, who is polling at 2%.

Though Donalds seemingly has a tight grip on the race, all eyes are on Tallahassee. DeSantis has yet to reveal who he is backing to be his successor and rumors are flying that Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who was appointed to the vacant position by DeSantis in August, may enter the race with the support of the governor.

The Daily Caller spoke to sources who are involved in and close to the race for governor who were granted anonymity to discuss the inner workings of the race candidly. The sources said that although the race is calm now as Donalds barnstorms the state, they see a potential second DeSantis-Trump showdown bubbling under the surface.

Contributing to the feeling that tensions are on the verge of boiling over is that DeSantis has given the impression that he wants to name his own successor, multiple sources said, but has publicly expressed doubts about whether Donalds can be his guy.

One month after Donalds entered the race, the governor’s political operation even started urging state lobbyists to not back him, NBC News reported.

More here

Tagged: Partner BACK TO HOMEPAGE