Ron DeSantis’s Rise From Unknown to Heir Apparent

<p>As the race to be the Republican Party’s presidential candidate gets underway, one figure has emerged as a particularly powerful rival to Donald J. Trump.</p><p>That person, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, has broken away from the pack by turning his state into a laboratory for a post-Trump version of conservatism.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/patricia-mazzei">Patricia Mazzei</a>, the Miami bureau chief for The New York Times.</p><p>Background reading:</p><ul><li>Mr. DeSantis will soon get a chance to check off<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/05/us/ron-desantis-florida-legislature.html"> his wish list of proposals for Florida</a>, including expanding gun rights.</li><li>In his new book, “The Courage to Be Free,” Mr. DeSantis offers<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/27/books/review/ron-desantis-book.html"> a template for governing</a>.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.</p>