DeSantis stokes more speculation about his political future with South Carolina visit

In a visit that stoked more speculation that he still has his eyes on the White House, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis traveled to the South Carolina State House Tuesday to promote his push for a Constitutional Convention on congressional term limits.

DeSantis' trip to speak with South Carolina lawmakers came just four days before the state's Feb. 24 Republican presidential primary, and was another example of the governor angling for national attention despite dropping out of the presidential race.

Since ending his presidential campaign on Jan. 21, DeSantis has continued to focus on national issues such as the border problem and federal government reforms. The governor announced he is deploying more members of the Florida National Guard to the border and has been pushing for a series of constitutional amendments.

Visiting South Carolina so close to the presidential primary raised questions about DeSantis' motivations for the trip. Asked during Tuesday's press conference if he was positioning himself for the 2028 presidential campaign, DeSantis said "It's not about that."

"When I was running I said I would use the bully pulpit to help do this," DeSantis said. "Well now that we're here where we are I've told folks that are supportive of the term limits movement 'Put me in, if there's a way I can be helpful, if it's me going and speaking to different folks throughout the country that are in state legislative chambers I'm happy to do it.'"

In a press release afterward, the governor's office said "DeSantis was invited by the U.S. Term Limits organization to travel to meet with legislative leaders to encourage the passage of state resolutions calling for term limits on members of Congress."

DeSantis noted that he also was in Indiana Thursday. Some have speculated that promoting the constitutional reforms could be a vehicle for DeSantis to say in the national spotlight.

“I would say he’s waging a shadow campaign to preserve his eligibility for a presidential run," said Gregory Koger, a University of Miami political science professor, told USA TODAY Network - Florida last month.

DeSantis also was asked Thursday about the primary race between Haley and Trump. He has endorsed Trump, and said he believes "the primary's over."

"It was clear to me after Iowa she just didn't have support among Republicans," DeSantis said of Haley, adding: "There's no question that South Carolina is going to be a big victory for Donald Trump because he appeals to core Republicans in way that Nikki Haley just does not, or is not trying to."

Trump said during a Fox News town hall Tuesday that DeSantis is on his vice presidential short list, along with U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, Florida U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and others.

“Honestly all of those people are good. They’re all good, they’re all solid," Trump said.

DeSantis has said in the past that he wouldn't consider being Trump's running mate. The two had a contentious primary contest.

As DeSantis continues to get questions about his political future, he has rehired top aides who left his administration to work for his presidential campaign, including Chief of Staff James Uthmeier and communications staffers Bryan Griffin and Christina Pushaw.

DeSantis is promoting HCR 693, a resolution passed by the Legislature that serves as "the state’s application to Congress under Article V of the United States Constitution to call a convention for the sole purpose of considering and proposing constitutional amendments limiting the number of terms a member of Congress may serve," according to a House bill analysis. Florida is among six states to pass such measures, which must be approved by two-thirds of states for a Constitutional Convention to convene.

Critics of the governor dismissed the South Carolina visit as a stunt by a "failed" candidate that wastes taxpayer dollars "in order to fly the state’s private jet to South Carolina as he tries to remain relevant to a national audience that overwhelmingly rejected his anti-freedom agenda."

"Back home in Florida, working families and seniors are looking for solutions to the nation’s highest property and auto insurance premiums, out-of-control housing costs, and skyrocketing utility bills but Ron DeSantis can’t give up the lost cause of his presidential ambitions long enough to even pretend to care about the issues that matter to his actual constituents," DeSantis Watch Communications Director Anders Croy said in a prepared statement.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: DeSantis touts Trump, term limits in South Carolina, bashes Haley