Presumed presidential contender to visit

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is scheduled to visit Las Vegas on March 11, making it the latest stop in a series of battleground states as the conservative mulls a run for president in the 2024. DeSantis will serve as the “special guest” speaker for an event called “the Florida Blueprint” at Stoney’s Rockin’ Country in Las Vegas, according to a post from the website Eventbrite. The event is free to the public, with doors opening at 3:30 p.m. DeSantis is scheduled to speak at 5 p.m.

After a landslide win in November, DeSantis created a “blueprint for freedom in Florida that serves as a model for the rest of the nation,” thus coming up with the name for his speaking tour.

DeSantis is widely considered the leading conservative to challenge former President Donald Trump, who announced in December he’d run to secure the Republican presidential nomination for a third time.

DeSantis has the backing of many prominent conservative donors, including Nevada billionaire Robert Bigelow, who last year donated $10 million to DeSantis’ political action committee.

Though DeSantis has not formally announced his candidacy, he’s been the target of nicknames by Trump and his allies. –Casey Harrison