DeSantis to Visit Early Primary States, Selling His Florida Record

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida will make his debut appearances in three early presidential primary states in the next several weeks, according to two people briefed on his plans, selling his performance in his own state as he lays the groundwork for an expected presidential campaign.

Mr. DeSantis is tentatively expected to appear in Iowa during the first half of March, making stops in Davenport and Des Moines, according to the people briefed on his schedule who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the plans publicly. Shortly after, he is expected to appear in Nevada, an early primary state, followed a few weeks later by an expected trip to Manchester, N.H.

An appearance in South Carolina is also being discussed, according to the people briefed.

An aide to Mr. DeSantis declined to comment on his planned appearances.

Hitting the traditional early primary states as he discusses his new book, “The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival,” allows Mr. DeSantis to unofficially test the waters and introduce himself nationally.

Mr. DeSantis is also expected on Sunday in California at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, a place that has often been a launching pad for presidential candidacies. And there are stops expected in a handful of other states, including New York. There’s also discussion of a stop in Peoria, Ill. Representative Darin LaHood said that Mr. DeSantis’s advisers had reached out about a possible visit to his district there. Mr. LaHood hosted former Vice President Mike Pence, who is considering a presidential campaign of his own, last summer as he made a string of public appearances ahead of a book tour.

A chunk of the Republican electorate, some conservative activists and a number of major donors have already pinned their hopes on Mr. DeSantis as the future of the party as they seek to move on from former President Donald J. Trump. They have praised his aggressive style and use of the powers of his office, and his willingness to dive into battles over cultural issues that have come to define the modern Republican Party.

Mr. Trump still leads the field in a number of national opinion polls, with others showing Mr. DeSantis ahead. A recent Fox News poll showed Mr. Trump leading Mr. DeSantis by 15 points, 43 percent to 28 percent, and a Morning Consult poll showed a wider margin, 18 percent. But it’s the early states where Mr. DeSantis will seek to stake his claim on the nomination if he runs.

Mr. DeSantis is already a known entity to Fox News viewers and conservative activists. His culture war fights are often highlighted by conservative activists online. But beyond a specific audience, his image nationally is still being formed.

For Republicans supporting a DeSantis candidacy based on his record in Florida — and based on their desire to stop Mr. Trump — his performance on the road will give a sense of how he might fare in a national campaign’s more intense glare.

With the Legislature in session in Tallahassee during his tour, he will return to Florida several times, the schedule shows.

The people briefed on Mr. DeSantis’s schedule distinguished it from a book tour, like those recently undertaken by former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, both of whom are considering presidential campaigns.

Instead, Mr. DeSantis’s plans are said to include a collection of speaking engagements with some connection to what he lays out in his book as a blueprint that his Florida record offers the country.

The distinction is important given Florida’s strict rules around what a governor may accept that could be construed as a gift.

Mr. DeSantis has been trying to avoid getting pulled into a mud fight with Mr. Trump, who has been seeking to goad him into it with increasingly aggressive attacks. The former president has been testing different nicknames for Mr. DeSantis, people who have spoken with him said, and he reposted on his social media site Truth Social someone insinuating that Mr. DeSantis behaved inappropriately with high school girls when he was a schoolteacher.

He has been trying to focus attention on Mr. DeSantis from the political left, attacking him for his votes on Medicare and Social Security while he was a congressman and trying to paint him as an establishment figure.

To that end, Mr. Trump’s allies don’t plan to let Mr. DeSantis have a quiet rollout of his book. A group called Villagers for Trump put word online on Monday seeking Trump supporters to attend a planned late afternoon event in the community known as The Villages on Tuesday.

“We are asking all VFT members to rally and show support for President Trump for 2024 and wear their MAGA hats, Trump gear, and bring any flags, banners etc.,” the notice said.

The attacks on Mr. DeSantis from Trump allies are expected to intensify, as Mr. DeSantis’s advisers have signaled he won’t declare a candidacy until after the Florida legislative session ends. That gives Mr. Trump a specific window in which to try to define Mr. DeSantis with Republican voters — and general election voters — before Mr. DeSantis has a chance to do so as a candidate.

Mr. Trump is expected to have a well-funded super PAC. But Mr. Trump is not expected to have is a large portfolio of wealthy donors supporting him. Many have lined up behind Mr. DeSantis, investing in his 2022 re-election as a way of getting involved ahead of a formal campaign.

Last weekend, Mr. DeSantis held a donor retreat with a number of people who are likely to be part of a campaign, as well as some who are not.

Some senators and governors attended, as Mr. DeSantis moderated panels. That included one on election integrity, during which Mr. DeSantis told the crowd that Republicans needed to be engaged with mail-in voting, according to a person present.

Reid J. Epstein and Neil Vigdor contributed reporting.