DeSantis to headline New Hampshire GOP fundraiser in April

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will travel to New Hampshire next month to headline a key fundraising dinner for the state Republican Party in the latest sign that he’s moving toward a 2024 presidential campaign.

DeSantis will deliver the keynote address at the New Hampshire GOP’s annual Amos Tuck Dinner on April 14 in Manchester, the party announced on Monday. The event is the party’s largest fundraising dinner, and it will give DeSantis a key opportunity to network with donors and party officials in the first-in-the-nation primary state.

News of the scheduled appearance comes as DeSantis begins a swing through several critical early primary and caucus states in the lead up to a likely presidential campaign announcement. He made stops in Iowa on Friday followed by a trip to Nevada on Saturday.

DeSantis has said little so far about his 2024 plans, though he’s widely expected to make a formal decision after the Florida state legislature wraps up its annual session in May.

For now, however, a presidential bid appears likely, if not a near certainty. In addition to his stops in Iowa and Nevada, DeSantis has made swings through Texas and California in recent weeks to promote his new book, “The Courage to be Free.”

He also spoke at the Club for Growth’s annual donor retreat in Palm Beach, Fla., earlier this month, joining several other current and would-be presidential candidates, including former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

Notably absent from that retreat was former President Trump, who was left off the guest list amid a rift with the club.

A University of New Hampshire Granite State Poll released in January showed DeSantis leading Trump among Republican voter respondents in the first-in-the-nation primary state, taking 42 percent support to Trump’s 30 percent.