Is DeSantis Laying Groundwork for 2024 Trump Battle?

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has again shown he's attempting to distance himself from Donald Trump amid a potential 2024 run, after wading into the Colorado Senate race by endorsing GOP candidate Joe O'Dea, a critic of the former president, experts have said.

DeSantis is backing the moderate Republican, who is hoping to unseat incumbent Democratic Senator Michael Bennet in the midterm election, according to a call released by the O'Dea campaign.

"America needs strong leadership and desperately. That's why I'm endorsing Joe O'Dea for U.S. Senate," DeSantis said. "I've watched Joe from a distance, and I'm impressed."

DeSantis' endorsement of O'Dea came after the Senate hopeful has continually attacked Trump. O'Dea recently said that he doesn't believe that Trump should run again in 2024, telling CNN that he would "actively campaign" against the former president if he decides to do so.

In response, Trump called O'Dea a "RINO"—Republican in name only—and that his MAGA base "doesn't Vote for stupid people with big mouths."

Trump also hit out at DeSantis' backing of O'Dea, sharing a Washington Examiner article on Truth Social about the endorsement with the caption "A BIG MISTAKE!"

DeSantis, who has long been thought to be the main contender for the Republican nomination in 2024 alongside Trump, has taken steps in recent months to gain prominence within the GOP outside of Florida, including getting involved in campaign events and fundraisers in Nebraska and South Carolina.

DeSantis also reportedly didn't pursue the much sought after endorsement from Trump in his own Florida gubernatorial election campaign, another sign he's hoping to distance himself from his on-off ally and set up a potential battle for the GOP presidential nomination.

Sean Freeder, an assistant professor of political science at the University of North Florida, said DeSantis' endorsement of O'Dea, who has lost to Bennet in all the most recent opinion polls and is nearly nine points behind the Democrat in FiveThirtyEight's national average, "clearly indicates" the governor is thinking about 2024.

"You don't get involved in races in other states, especially races where your favored candidate is very likely to lose, unless you're thinking about national-level strategy," Freeder told Newsweek.

"O'Dea can't offer DeSantis anything right now, but support for him now might help DeSantis distinguish himself from Trump in the 2024 Republican primary."

Following Trump's public attacks on O'Dea, a number of Republicans expressed concern that the former president is actively damaging the candidate's hope of victory, and ultimately the GOP's chances of regaining control of the Senate in November, according to The Hill.

By stepping in and endorsing O'Dea, Freeder said DeSantis is showing that he can put the party first, in comparison to Trump who only favors candidates willing to support his MAGA agenda and the false claim he won the 2020 Election above anything else.

"DeSantis wants to position himself as a true leader within the party that won't sacrifice potential increases of congressional power, no matter how remote, over petty personal differences," Freeder said.

"About a year from now, we'll be watching DeSantis pull the O'Dea card out during a debate, and using it as an example of how he'll be a more stable and dependable candidate for the party. That message would be aimed at the public, but particularly at the party leaders responsible for organizing, fundraising, and strategy."

'Creating Separation' From Trump

Joshua Scacco, associate professor and associate chair of the Department of Communication at the University of South Florida, said the endorsement of O'Dea was another way for DeSantis to garner attention from himself while simultaneously "creating separation" from Trump.

Scacco also agreed that DeSantis understands "party building and support" better than Trump and giving a public endorsement or O'Dea is a shrewd way to show he can help unite the party.

"By endorsing in this race, the governor also may be signaling to Republican elites how he would lead the party compared to Trump," Scacco told Newsweek. "Those individuals will matter when it comes to financing a prospective run for higher office."

In June, as the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack began its live hearings, Politico reported that major GOP donors were growing increasingly weary of the continuous controversies surrounding Trump and were looking to other candidates to back in 2024.

Dan Eberhart, a prominent Republican donor, told Politico that DeSantis was "lying in wait, sharpening his knives" in case Trump's 2024 chances are irreparably damaged.

While Trump and DeSantis are considered the two main frontrunners for the GOP nomination in 2024, the former president is by far the favorite to clinch it should they both run.

According to a collection of national surveys since November 2021, compiled by Polling USA, as of October 20, Trump's average polling stood at 50.2 percent, with DeSantis second at 28.7 percent.