DeSantis to meet with GOP lawmakers in DC next week

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will head to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday as he nears a bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

DeSantis will meet with congressional Republicans and participate in a policy discussion hosted by And to the Republic, a political nonprofit launched earlier this year that is backing the governor’s political ambitions.

Among the lawmakers attending the event are Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), according to a copy of the invite obtained by The Hill. Massie and Roy have already endorsed DeSantis’s likely 2024 presidential bid.

The governor’s planned visit to D.C., which was first reported by Politico, adds to his already-packed travel schedule. He’s appeared in several early voting states in recent weeks, including Iowa and Nevada, and will make a stop in New Hampshire on Friday.

He’s also expected to travel to Israel, signaling an effort to bolster his international credentials.

The trip to D.C. is also notable, however, given the flood of Republican lawmakers who have already lined up behind former President Trump in the 2024 presidential race. That includes four Republican members of Florida’s congressional delegation: Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, Matt Gaetz, Cory Mills and Byron Donalds.

A handful of Republicans are also expected to come out in support of Trump in the coming weeks, according to two House Republican aides. NBC News reported on Wednesday that DeSantis’s team has begun reaching out to members of Florida’s congressional delegation in an effort to prevent further defections to Trump.