TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Most defeated presidential candidates skulk away and stay silent, at least for a while as they try to regroup. Not Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). Since exiting the 2024 Republican primary, the Florida governor has remained very much in the public eye.

DeSantis announced hundreds of millions of dollars in new toll relief for Florida commuters. He signed a new anti-squatting law that was hailed as both tough on crime and a defense of property rights. He has said that under his leadership, the state has rescued some 200 Floridians from the instability in Haiti while trying to avert a migration crisis at home. And many DeSantis supporters took a victory lap after the state’s settlement with the Walt Disney Company.