DeSantis' 2024 odds improve as Florida turns red

Gov. Ron DeSantis called Florida the "freest state in America" as he tried to stand apart from a handful of potential 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls making pitches to the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas this weekend.

Why it matters: DeSantis is using his legislative success in Florida to pick up campaign momentum as the state's COVID numbers improve.

• Even bookmakers have noticed, with BoyleSports trimming DeSantis' odds of winning the 2024 presidential election to 9/1 from 12/1 on Saturday, per Florida Politics.
• Alongside hopefuls like former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former VP Mike Pence, DeSantis' pitch is the clearest sign yet that he's running.

Between the lines: DeSantis touted Florida's surge of new residents as a byproduct of low taxes and hands-off government policy, per the Review Journal.

• He also bashed critical race theory and vaccine mandates while bragging about legislation he signed banning ballot harvesting.

The big picture: DeSantis is riding a wave of Republican popularity as the state GOP announced without evidence that red voters outnumber blue voters for the first time in Florida history.

• According to the latest publicly available data, there were about 12,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans as of Sept. 30.

Yes, but: Just 10 years ago, there were half a million more Ds than Rs in the Sunshine State.