Abbott is building a wall in Texas, amid a border crisis most Republicans believe is President Joe Biden’s making. Not to be defeated, DeSantis sent Florida officers to the Lone Star State to help with the southwest border.
Abbott signed a “trigger law” passing an abortion ban if Roe v. Wade is overturned. DeSantis has signed legislation keeping transgender athletes from playing in female sports after South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem started from a similar measure. DeSantis attempted to crack down on Big Tech, Abbott on “vaccine passports.”
Both Texas and Florida emerged as models for economic reopening as the pandemic began to wind down. Both governors were attacked by Democratically elected officials for recklessness, including those in blue states with comparatively worse COVID-19 results. Now they both claim support while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo — related to Anthony Fauci, who was once the model of the coronavirus story — is being reappraised.
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The Republican Party has experienced ideological shifts in the past few years. Relations between the business community, major corporations in particular, and the social conservatives who make up an irregular share of the GOP rank-and-file have frayed. The party’s base has little confidence in its leadership or governing class.
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These conditions led to Trump’s rise in 2016, as he bypassed a field of 16 established Republican candidates to win the party’s presidential nomination and the White House. He remains a major force in the party and could be either a kingmaker or the nominee again in 2024.
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"Will Trump have so much weight still that his support will make a difference?" asked a Republican strategist in New Hampshire. "That's the biggest question."
But followers are also needed as Trump may get into another race. In any case, he turned 75 on Monday. Even younger than Biden, 78, that suggests some limits to his political shelf life. Republican governors across the country have been working to fill what could become a major leadership void, though it is hard to grapple with the two largest red states.
DeSantis, 42, has been openly wavering as a possible presidential candidate, with Trump publicly recognizing him as part of a strongly Republican seat. Some public polls imply he is well-positioned if Trump does not run, with only former Vice President Mike Pence also consistently in the top tier. Abbott is less often cited in these terms, but a Texas operative said, “He’s ambitious.”
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