about his White House prospects. Within a few short years, he rose from relatively a relatively obscure congressman to Trump's leading Republican rival by embracing the former president's cultural grievances without the constant tumult.
Speaking in Israel, DeSantis expressed confidence in his actions and showed no sign of letting the Disney issue go. Democratic state Sen. Linda Stewart, whose district is near Disney, said she understands that DeSantis made big headlines when he first stood up to Disney, and that it rallied his core supporters. But the longer the feud drags on, the more it could backfire.
DeSantis is eyeing a presidential campaign launch once the state legislature wraps up its session next month. As that moment nears, public familiarity with the governor is improving. Just 24% of U.S. adults say they don’t know enough to rate him in the April AP-NORC poll, compared with 30% in October and 42% in July 2021.
Among Republicans, 63% now say they have a favorable view of DeSantis, a tick up from 57% in October. The shift is concentrated among moderate and liberal Republicans, who have grown more familiar with him.