The eyes of the political world were glued to Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ State of the State speech Tuesday. But it’s everything else he did Tuesday that may have been more revealing.
During a press conference shortly after his speech, DeSantis spoke favorably about a new bill filed Tuesday that would restrict access to abortions after six weeks. (“Those exceptions are sensible,” he said.)
He also took on critics of his policies on education, promising an “exposé” countering the criticism he’s received on “book bans” and for the state’s decision to block an AP African American Studies course.
And later that day, he wrote a letter to President Joe Biden calling on him to let Novak Djokovic, the tennis star who is vocal about his decision to not be vaccinated against Covid-19, enter the country and play.
In other campaign news…
Speaking of DeSantis: McClatchy delves into a period of DeSantis’ career that he rarely speaks about publicly: his time as a JAG officer at the Guantánamo Bay detention facility.
Bayou buzz: GOP Rep. Garret Graves announced Tuesday that he has decided not to run for governor in Louisiana. And the Louisiana Illuminator reports that Stephen Waguespack, former GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal’s chief of staff who now runs the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, is expected to jump into the governor’s race later this week.
All that jazz: Chicago’s two mayoral candidates will be working to win over the 46% of voters who chose someone else in last month’s primary, and Politico unpacks how each candidate could win.
On the airwaves: Money continues to pour into the Wisconsin state Supreme Court race, with a GOP outside group spending more than $3 million on the airwaves ahead of next month’s election.
Youngkin for president?: The Hill reports on how Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s recent national media swing continues to stoke speculation about him running for president.
Hogan, too? Former Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who just announced he wouldn’t run for president as a Republican, would not rule out an independent presidential bid in the future in an ABC News interview.
I’ll Have Another (debate): Four Kentucky Republican gubernatorial hopefuls participated in their first debate on Tuesday, while Politico reports on how Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear is heading into his re-election fight in a red-leaning state as the frontrunner.
Targeting House Democrats: Axios scoops that the NRCC is out with a small digital ad buy attacking House Democrats that voted against the resolution that would block Washington D.C.’s new crime law (which the Senate will vote on Wednesday).