DeSantis hints at presidential decision 'relatively soon'

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated that he would soon make a decision on a prospective 2024 presidential bid as polls show him the strongest prospective challenger to former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination.

DeSantis currently holds 22.9% support in the RealClearPolitics polling average, 29.2% behind Trump, but considerably ahead of any other declared or hypothetical candidate.

The Florida governor on Friday indicated a campaign decision would come in the near future, according to The Hill.

"What happens in the future? We’ll get on that relatively soon," he said. "You either gotta put or shut up on that as well."

Reports emerged from NBC News and Bloomberg in late April that he was preparing a respective mid-May or early July campaign launch, though DeSantis denied having solidified his plans.

"If there’s any announcements, those will come at the appropriate time," he said at the time. "But if anyone’s telling you that somehow they know this or they know that, that’s just inaccurate because there’s not been any decisions made."

DeSantis won reelection to his post in 2022 by a more than 19% margin and has overseen a Republican takeover of the formerly battleground state during his tenure. His current term expires in 2027, which would overlap with a 2025 start for a hypothetical presidential term.

Florida lawmakers, however, have approved an adjustment to state law that would permit DeSantis to seek the presidency nonetheless. Under the legislation, the "resign to run" requirement would exempt those seeking the presidency or vice presidency.

To date, Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, tech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson have announced their bids for the GOP nomination while South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is actively exploring a campaign.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.