Democrats are “undoubtedly scared” of DeSantis and, “with a guy like [President] Joe Biden in office, they should be scared of any Republican who enters the race,” according to one GOP strategist.

“Two ways to read this: First, Democrat organizations trying to remain relevant. Two, Democrats working to elevate the candidate they most want to run against,” a senior party official said. “But ultimately, it doesn’t matter because the Republican primary will be decided by Republican voters.”

DeSantis, himself, has embraced the Democratic attacks. During his debut appearance in Iowa, scheduled as part of his book tour, DeSantis laid out his governing principles in a state that will host the Republican primary’s first-in-the-nation caucus in less than a year.

“We said, ‘We’re going to be on offense on all these different things,'” he said Friday. “Some of these Republicans, they just kind of sit back, they let the Left define the terms of the debate, they let the media define the terms of the debate, and then they end up just sitting there, defensive.”

“A lot of elected officials, they don’t want to have to make decisions,” he added. “If you can wait for these things to bubble up before you get involved, then maybe you don’t upset as many people, but that’s not leadership. So we said, ‘We’re going to go on offense.'”

The White House responded to DeSantis’s prepared remarks and discussion afterward with Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA), though press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was only asked directly about his pride in Florida being the place where “woke goes to die.”

“When Republicans, extreme Republicans, these ‘MAGA’ Republicans, don’t agree with an issue or with a policy, they don’t bring forth something that’s going to either have a good-faith conversation; they go to this conversation of ‘woke,'” she said. “That’s not actually policy. What that turns into is hate.”

Ron Johnson/AP

A six-figure pro-Biden and anti-DeSantis TV and radio ad campaign launched this week by American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic political action committee, also amplifies Republican “extremism.” The 60-second spot that is being broadcast in Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, four presidential battleground states, cites DeSantis and former President Donald Trump as examples of Republican “extremists” with whom Biden is “battling.”

“Floridians are suffering under Ron DeSantis’s failed leadership,” American Bridge 21st Century President Pat Dennis told the Washington Examiner. “As he flirts with a presidential run, the American people deserve to know it.”

“DeSantis’s extremism is hindering Florida as he prioritizes false culture war narratives over strong economic policies that would actually help his constituents,” he said. “We will fight his far-right wing extremism, which is already anathema to the women voters who will decide this election, early and head-on.”

For Republican primary voters, “extremism is a feature, not a bug,” particularly during last year’s midterm elections, according to Center for American Progress Action Fund senior adviser Colin Seeberger. The Center for American Progress is a Democratic-aligned think tank and advocacy organization.

“But we also saw those very same ‘MAGA’ extremists largely fall flat with general election voters, including in crucial presidential swing states, like Arizona and Michigan,” he said. “For Democrats, I think the rewards far outweigh the risks of educating voters early about Ron DeSantis’s extreme views.”

American Bridge 21st Century is not the only Democratic-leaning group mobilizing against DeSantis, Seeberger added.

“Giffords launched yesterday a six-figure ad campaign hitting DeSantis for pushing dangerous permitless carry legislation that would put lives at risk across the Sunshine State,” he said. “This investment kicked off with a full-page ad in the Miami-Herald and also features bilingual radio and digital ads detailing how this bill will allow almost anyone to carry a gun in public without a background check or any training.”

The Democratic National Committee has also been assertive concerning DeSantis, but they have adopted a similar approach to other Republican presidential candidates, declared or otherwise. As contenders make trips to early-voting states, the DNC, for example, has held briefing calls for reporters.

“Look, I don’t know who’s going to come out of this GOP primary, but the bottom line is that Iowans, and Americans, cannot afford the extreme agenda that these folks are peddling,” Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Rita Hart said this week.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

DeSantis delivered his State of the State address in Florida this week to mark the start of the state’s 2023 legislative session, after which he is expected to announce his presidential campaign. He used the platform to promote his record while promising his Republican supermajorities, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

“November’s election results represent a vindication of our joint efforts over these past four years,” he said. “It’s also vested in us the responsibility to lead and provide us the opportunity to shoot for the stars. Boldness be our friend in this endeavor. We have a lot we need to accomplish.”