DeSantis makes first visit to New Hampshire, teasing 2024 presidential run: 'I have only begun to fight'

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Addressing over 500 Republicans Friday at New Hampshire’s biggest GOP annual fundraising gala, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made his first visit to the all important first-in-the-nation voting state.

DeSantis, who is expected to soon launch a presidential campaign, has been making a flurry of visits across the country. He dined with GOP voters in Ohio on Thursday. On Friday before the New Hampshire dinner, he delivered a speech in Virginia at Liberty University and addressed the National Rifle’s Association annual convention over a taped video message.

Headlining the New Hampshire Republican Party’s Amos Tuck Dinner, named after a former attorney and House representative who some credit with founding the GOP in the 1850s, DeSantis met a receptive crowd. DeSantis, who has not made a formal presidential campaign announcement, gave remarks that sounded a lot like a campaign speech.

"If the election of 2024 is a referendum on Joe Biden and his failed policies, and we provide a fresh vision for American renewal, Republicans will win the White House, the House and the U.S. Senate," DeSantis said in one of his most overt pitches for 2024.

The Florida governor championed his accomplishments as governor, hinting to voters he hopes to model the country after his home state.

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"I take credit for the nice warmth and sunshine I brought with me from down south today here in New Hampshire,” DeSantis joked.

DeSantis meets a receptive crowd in New Hampshire, mostly

DeSantis’ speech largely reflected what he has become known for – being one of the biggest figureheads in the Republican party’s culture wars.

“I think parents should be able to send their kids to second grade, let them watch cartoons, just let them be kids, not having somebody's agenda shoved down their throat," DeSantis said to a standing ovation. “It is wrong to tell a second grader that they were born in the wrong body.”

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And he strongly touted his own leadership as Florida’s governor to more cheers from the crowd.

“All we do is get the job done day after day. And that means we beat the left day after day, week after week,” DeSantis said.

The welcome was not as warm from others. During his speech, two protestors tried to usurp the stage and unfurl a banner that read “Jews against DeSantis” while chanting the same before being quickly whisked away by security.

“You’ve got to have a little spice in the speech,” DeSantis said, to massive applause from the crowd.

Pro-DeSantis voters describe a ‘rock star’ quality

Scott Maltzie, 62, from Boscawen, N.H., despite not yet decided on a GOP presidential candidate, had high praise for DeSantis before his speech, describing the Florida governor as a “rock star.”

“He is a rock star in the party and doing a lot of great things in Florida,” said Maltzie, who said the governor’s outspoken conservatism is especially appreciated.

“He stands up for what he believes in and he stands up to the cancel culture that’s out there that is really seeking to silence conservative voices. He’s out there speaking truth.” Maltzie continued.

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Jeanne Geisser, a 63-year-old realtor from Atkinson, N.H., said she has not made up her mind yet on any candidate either, but said she wants a “strong candidate” to win the general election.

Geisser pointed to his soaring support in the Sunshine State, noting his first election for governor in 2018, where he won by a razor-thin margin of 0.4% against Democrat Andrew Gillum. That compares to when he won in 2022 against Democrat Charlie Crist by almost 20%. To her, those results show a winning candidate that can beat President Joe Biden in 2024.

After DeSantis’ remarks, the governor went around for a bit of the retail politics New Hampshire is known for, mingling with attendees, signing books and taking as many selfies as voters wanted to.

Tom Johansen, 67, from Hanover, N.H., said the experience of seeing DeSantis in person made the Florida governor a more compelling candidate. Johansen has not set his mind on any specific candidate yet, but his remarks strongly appealed to him, calling them “logical, comprehensive and very compelling.”

DeSantis avoids abortion politics in New Hampshire

DeSantis talked about plenty of hot-button conservative issues, but the governor did not utter one specific word in the entire speech: Namely, abortion.

DeSantis’ visit comes off the heels of him signing a 6-week abortion ban in Florida. The ban includes exceptions to save the mother’s life if needed and also allows abortions in cases of incest or rape if the patient has documentation such as a police report. The Florida governor did not announce his signature until just after 11 p.m on Thursday.

His quiet announcement and his lack of mentioning the legislation in his speech goes to show how tough abortion politics can be for GOP figures eyeing the White House. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who announced a presidential exploratory committee Wednesday, made a stop in Manchester on Thursday and repeatedly evaded or declined to answer specific questions about where he stands on abortion when asked by reporters.

What’s next for DeSantis in 2024? ‘I have only begun to fight’

DeSantis’ stop comes as other declared and undeclared 2024 presidential hopefuls are making their ways around the Granite State and other key early primary states.

Scott stopped in Manchester just roughly a five minute walk away from where DeSantis spoke, rubbing elbows with voters over breakfast at the Red Arrow Diner and later meeting with local pastors and GOP leaders on Thursday.

Conservative entrepreneur and multimillionaire Vivek Ramaswamy spoke to the New Hampshire State Senate Thursday and began a multi-day bus tour hoping to court Granite State voters in his long-shot presidential bid.

And former Gov. Nikki Haley has made multiple rounds around the Granite State, hosting several town halls since announcing her White House bid in February. She will be visiting the state again in late April, hosting three town halls in what her campaign calls a “New Hampshire hat trick.”

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For DeSantis, the headline speaker gave the crowd a taste of what is to come.

“I am very proud of what we have accomplished in the state of Florida, but I can tell you this,” DeSantis said. “I have only begun to fight.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ron DeSantis in NH teases 2024 bid: 'I have only begun to fight'