Axios Q&A with NBC News' Matt Dixon
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We asked NBC News reporter Matt Dixon — who wrote a new book "Swamp Monsters," about Gov. Ron DeSantis' rise — to give us his quick take on the governor's fall from the GOP presidential field.
Axios: How does DeSantis' campaign loss impact Floridians?
Dixon: "While DeSantis was on the presidential campaign trail he generally stayed out of state-level government and politics. ... Since his return, he has already done things like criticize House Speaker Paul Renner's top priority, legislation that would ban those under 16 from being on social media; killed legislation being proposed that would have helped Donald Trump pay for his legal bills; and pushed forward legislation to expand the Florida State Guard that he helped create."
Axios: What will the rest of his term look like?
Dixon: "I believe DeSantis will return to form as the forceful governor who has near unchecked power in Tallahassee. … Though Trump has proven to have huge sway over Republican primary voters, I believe most Republicans in Florida view Trump and DeSantis now in two different lanes. Since DeSantis is no longer challenging Trump, I think they will go back to intensely supporting DeSantis the governor, which means he will have the opportunity to easily muscle policy priorities he has through the GOP-dominated Legislature."
Axios: What's next for DeSantis?
Dixon: "DeSantis believes he can run for president again in 2028, and so do I. … He needs to figure out how to repair his relationship with Trump voters at the national level and do a better job raising federal campaign cash, but he has plenty of time to do both. I would expect he is at least in the mix when the topic turns to 2028 in a few years."
Of note: St. Petersburg's Tombolo Books is scheduled to host an evening with Dixon and the Tampa Bay Times' Emily L. Mahoney about his book at 7pm Jan. 31.
- You can RSVP here.