In less than 24 hours, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump will vie for support among their fellow candidates and other Republican leaders near the geographical heart of the Sunshine State.
Their meeting place is the Florida Freedom Summit. Hosted by the Republican Party of Florida at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida, 25 speakers will address concerned Republican voters over the course of an entire day on topics ranging from the ongoing Israel–Hamas war to matters of financial freedom.
Opening at 9:00 a.m. on Nov. 4, the day’s schedule begins with the screening of the documentary “Rigged: The Zuckerburg Funded Plot to Defeat Donald Trump,” and closing with President Trump as the keynote speaker at 6:00 p.m.
The former president will also follow a speech by Florida Republican Party Chairman Christian Zeigler titled, “Get Active,” and entrepreneur Michael Seifert, whose company Public Square was backed by Donald Trump Jr.
Mr. DeSantis is set to speak at 1:30 p.m., also following an address from Mr. Zeigler and the Financial Freedom panel.
This summit follows Florida’s Republican Party’s decision to eliminate the loyalty oath requirement to appear on the state’s primary ballot. The loyalty oath is designed to ensure that Republican candidates will support whomever the party chooses. The decision to eliminate the requirement was made after President Trump said he would refuse to sign it.
DeSantis vs. Trump?
While many other active candidates will be present, many Republican voters see the summit as yet another chapter of the “DeSantis vs. Trump” election saga, with some suggesting that a bias toward the former president is evident in the scheduling decisions. But some say otherwise.Sharon Regan, chairwoman of the Republican Party of Florida’s Santa Rosa County, told The Epoch Times that she disagreed with the notion that the schedule is angled toward President Trump.
While the former president follows supporting speakers like Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), she pointed out that the Florida governor also follows several of his supporters, including Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez; Florida’s chief financial officer, State Fire Marshall Jimmy Patronis; and State Attorney General Ashley Moody.
Ms. Regan also mentioned that candidates speaking before Mr. DeSantis, like UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (while not pro-DeSantis), are anti-Trump. The only outlier in the morning schedule is Florida senator Rick Scott, who announced his endorsement of President Trump on Nov. 2.
“In my view, there is one person running who has the strength to bring America back, who is well-positioned to win the Republican primary, and who will win the general election,” he said on X. “And that is why I am supporting Donald Trump for president.”
Speakers are also expected to affirm their endorsements for president if they have not already.
“I would definitely expect that from Matt Gaetz. If he hasn’t already,” Ms. Regan said. “I would also expect that from Byron Donalds.”
In regards to this meeting being a matter of “DeSantis vs. Trump,” the Republican leader from the Florida Panhandle denounced it, saying, “that ship has sailed.”
“I think that Donald Trump has taken this nomination away,” she said. “I think he’s got it free and clear of the other candidates. I think the rest of them are vying for the VP spot, in my opinion.”
The latest primary poll from FiveThirtyEight, released on Nov. 3, shows President Trump with 59.2 percent, while Mr. DeSantis is in a distant second at 12.6 percent.
However, the governor’s campaign remains undeterred.
“Ron DeSantis has more endorsements from state legislators than the former president in Iowa (41), New Hampshire (62), and South Carolina (16),” said the campaign’s communications director Andrew Romeo. “He also has the support of almost all Florida elected officials because he worked with them to deliver historic results for the conservative movement.
“The governor will win his home state because Floridians want to see a fighter who will bring the same type of results-oriented leadership to Washington that he has provided in the Sunshine State.”
Mr. DeSantis also recently announced he gained the endorsement of 60 out of 67 of Florida’s county sheriffs.
But it is still more than polling numbers that are reportedly swaying Florida voters from their governor.
“I’m speaking from the Panhandle perspective, and my people up there feel rather betrayed by Ron DeSantis,” Ms. Regan said. “Because, you know, he gave us his pledge of loyalty in January, and then he started a national campaign in March. So I mean, that was a very short time period to switch gears without being very frank with us in January.”
‘Voters Have a Role to Play’
The lead-up to this summit has also seen more Republican candidates begin to suspend their campaigns. As of Nov. 3, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, former Vice President Mike Pence, Perry Johnson, and Larry Elder have all announced a suspension of their campaigns.Vice President Pence pulled out of the Summit speaker lineup after dropping out of the race.
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Huchingson, who is also expected to speak at the summit, is insistent on continuing his campaign despite failing to qualify for the second debate.
He spoke at a joint South Carolina and North Carolina Federations of Republican Women Event in Rock Hill, South Carolina, with Mr. DeSantis on Oct. 19, during which the Florida governor insisted that any candidate who does not qualify for the third GOP debate should drop out.
Debate qualifications are determined by polling percentages and fundraising amounts. But neither debate qualification nor participation is a requirement to appear on any caucus or primary ballot.
“I think voters have a role to play in this campaign in deciding who the nominee is,” Mr. Hutchinson said in response. “I don’t think voters in South Carolina should be cut short and out of the picture because there’s some outside pressure that candidates ought to be in or ought to be out.”
He argued that voters in New Hampshire don’t even start thinking about who they are going to vote for until after Thanksgiving and that the Republican Party shouldn’t need to “narrow the field” until after the South Carolina votes.
After the Florida Freedom Summit, Republican candidates will meet again in Miami, Florida, on Nov. 8 for the third GOP debate. Mr. DeSantis is set to attend, while President Trump is set to hold a counter-event in nearby Hialeah at the same time.
