Aug 9, 2022 - Politics

Ron DeSantis to rally for Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania

Shane Savitsky

DeSantis at Turning Point Action's Student Action Summit in Tampa last month. Photo: Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is coming to the Keystone State later this month to rally for Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano.

Why it matters: DeSantis' Aug. 19 stop in Pittsburgh, part of a wider trip with the conservative student advocacy group Turning Point Action to fellow swing states Arizona and Ohio, sure looks like something that someone eyeing the White House in 2024 would schedule during a midterm year.

It also shows that DeSantis isn't afraid to boost candidates who received the backing of former President Trump during the primaries — as Mastriano did.

What they're saying: The Florida governor "has become the model for a new conservative movement that is willing to stand on principle and to actually fight on behalf of the values of his voters," Turning Point Action founder Charlie Kirk told Fox News.

The big picture: DeSantis has been positioning himself as an alternative to Trump, wading into the culture wars on issues like LGBTQ rights and abortion access.

Veteran GOP political strategists are already at work beefing up DeSantis' donor list in expectation of a White House run, Axios' Lachlan Markay reports.

The bottom line: This probably isn't the last time we'll see DeSantis on the trail in Pennsylvania.

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Ron DeSantis to rally for Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania

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