Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor and likely presidential candidate, rallied Houston-area Republicans on Friday with a speech that proclaimed his state as Texas’ new partner on the front lines in the battle against the political left.
With Austin buzzing about an unspoken rivalry between the country’s two biggest Republican-controlled states, DeSantis paid homage to Texas’ boisterous self-image — and said Florida is gaining its own “big sense of pride” under his leadership. He said it is being noticed “all the way up to the fella in the White House,” referring to his potential opponent in 2024: President Joe Biden.
