One of the big stories of 2022, the outcome of which will become clearer over the next two months, is Donald Trump’s frantic effort to prove his continuing relevance and power within the Republican party by endorsing Republican candidates in primary elections. By some counts, including incumbents who are running unopposed or effectively unopposed, Trump has endorsed around 150 Republicans across the nation. He has waded into nearly every contested primary for senator or governor, sometimes exercising decisive influence, other times obviously trying to front-run by picking people who are already winning. The profligacy of the endorsements puts Trump at risk, as voters can show that he is no longer dictating outcomes. It creates enemies within the party among candidates who had to overcome Trump to win nominations. It creates opportunities for rivals: Mike Pence is campaigning next week for Brian Kemp in Georgia, opposing the Trump-backed candidacy of David Perdue. But it also builds a cadre of people who owe him.
Amidst all the media attention to Trump’s endorsements, however, there is a very big dog that hasn’t barked: his chief rival for leadership of the national Republican party, Florida governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis has not been shy about endorsing in contested primaries within Florida, cementing his own control of his own state party. But he has been entirely silent on primary races outside of his own state. Even when he spoke up for Kemp, it was to blast the Democrat, Stacey Abrams.
This approach has its own risks: DeSantis is passing up the opportunity to pile up chits he could call in later. But it has its own advantages. He’s not making enemies. He’s avoiding direct, premature tests of strength against Trump. He’s also tending his own backyard, knowing that he needs a convincing reelection this fall and one more strong session of the Florida legislature next spring if he wants to use his governorship as a platform for a national bid in 2024. And if DeSantis remains in good shape in the fall, he can always do some campaign stops out of the state and/or dole out fundraising help as a way of building ties to other Republicans against Democrats. Time will tell if this is a wise choice, but it is quite different from the strategy Trump is following.