Nevada Republicans, who used to make excuses to presidential candidates, were excited to get an early look at DeSantis. Ninety minutes before the event, more than 100 people were waiting outside Stoney’s Rockin’ Country near the Las Vegas Strip to hear the Republican governor who took office as Disney, and helped pass a law Ban some school instructions About sexual orientation and gender identity, and Florida opened For tourists when many Vegas casinos struggled through Covid-19 restrictions.

“If he supports Laxalt, then I think I should give this guy a chance,” she said.

“There is four years of evidence that Trump’s political successes do not outweigh his character’s weaknesses in the minds of swing voters,” Yokes wrote. “Go with a guy who has achieved Trump-like results but has a superior message of discipline and strategic thinking.”

Democrats believe abortion policy will loom large in Nevada, where state law mandates a woman’s right to the procedure.

“Adam Laxalt has never missed an opportunity to attack women’s reproductive rights and is now campaigning with an anti-choice governor who just signed into law an abortion without exception for victims of rape, incest or human trafficking,” said Cortés Masto’s campaign spokeswoman Sigal Reshef. . “The campaign with Governor DeSantis is part of Laxalt’s long record of working to turn back the clock on abortion rights in Nevada — and that’s exactly what he will do in the Senate.”

Trump’s potential rival

Like elsewhere in the country, Trump remains the most popular figure among Nevada Republicans and the favorite to win the 2024 nomination if he attempts a third campaign for the White House. Robin Titus, a state House minority leader and former co-chair of Trump’s campaign in Nevada, said Republicans are waiting to see what the former president decides before looking for new horses to come back.

But Titus said DeSantis has become a household name even among ordinary Republicans. She said he has won many supporters through his battle against mandates and restrictions related to the pandemic, and they continue to follow him to see what issue he will address next.

“People don’t have the gut reaction to Ron DeSantis like people who reach out to me about Trump,” Titus said. “I’ve been a proud Trump supporter, but I might say that to someone and there might be a good reaction or not. It feels different with DeSantis.”

Although opinion polls suggest DeSantis’ influence with conservatives is growing, the Florida governor has spent little political capital sharing the new spotlight with other Republican candidates. While DeSantis participated in rallies for Trump in 2020, he didn’t dare get out of the state to help other Republicans in tight races.

The DeSantis campaign declined to say if the travel to Nevada indicated he might open up his out-of-state political schedule to boost more Republicans ahead of the midterms, or if he was simply doing a favor for an old friend in the Navy. DeSantis had intended to headline a fish fry in Laxalt, Nevada last year but had to cancel due to a tropical storm.

His reception in Las Vegas suggested that more appearances would be welcomed by Republicans, as well as his contribution to the contested primaries. Callers at a local conservative radio station praised DeSantis before his visit, and one mentioned Florida’s new electoral security force as a model for the country. By 4 p.m. PT, several hundred people had already crammed into the country music hall, ordered drinks and checked out a mechanical bull. By comparison, Laxalt’s recent event with Texas Senator Ted Cruz drew about 140 people, according to local reports.

Christie and Barrett Adams from Las Vegas said they came to see Laxalt because he had support from DeSantis as well as Trump.

“If these two superheroes support him, we should listen to what he has to say,” Kristi Adams said.

Joanna Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the RGA, told CNN: “We obviously welcome (DeSantis’) support for any of our current governors or nominees. But that’s a question for his team and the nominees.”

Jeremy Hughes, a longtime Republican strategist in the state, said DeSantis has created a “very frantic following” in Nevada without making frequent visits to the state. He believes it is a strategy aimed at “leaving Nevadan wanting more”.

“When it comes out, it becomes a must-do,” Hughes said. “You don’t want to be overexposed, where people say, ‘I just saw this guy last week. Don’t you have a country to run?’”