DeSantis, who is widely seen as one of the two frontrunners for the GOP presidential nomination, filed paperwork to run for president on Wednesday and is poised to formally declare his bid later this evening.
As governor of Florida, DeSantis has sought to take action on two energy and climate issues in particular that have rallied the Republican base: ESG investing and protecting the availability of gas stoves.
Earlier this month, DeSantis signed a bill restricting environmentally and socially conscious investing, also known as ESG, in Florida.
As gas stove politics heated up in Washington, D.C., the governor also floated tax breaks for the appliances in Florida, even though they are not widely used there.
Florida’s legislature also passed a DeSantis-backed bill that would prevent cities and counties from being able to outlaw the appliances.
Strategists say his embrace of such issues at the state level will elevate DeSantis in the GOP presidential field.
“And all these candidates need to figure out how do they distinguish themselves from one another in whatever fashion and because he’s governor and governors do things, he’s going to be able to talk about the direct results that he enacted,” GOP strategist Doug Heye said.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
