Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis heads to Iowa in latest sign of GOP presidential ambitions

It’s lovely in Iowa this time of year, especially if you’re thinking about running for president next year.

Ron DeSantis ventured to chilly Des Moines and Davenport Friday to pitch his GOP credentials in the state that will have the first say in the 2024 Republican presidential race.

The Florida governor delivered his familiar boast that he has turned the Sunshine State into a proving ground for conservative values.

“We will never surrender to the woke mob,” he told a crowd of supporters. “Our state is where the woke mob goes to die.”

DeSantis bragged that he is the ideal messenger for the right-wing push against abortion and political correctness in schools and corporate America.

He told GOP voters that he transformed Florida from a toss-up state to a Republican stronghold in just four years.

“From what we showed in Florida, not only can you have a good agenda and deliver, you can make big inroads with the electorate,” he said. “And that’s exactly what we did. It doesn’t happen by accident.”

DeSantis kept quiet about a possible presidential campaign, although being in Davenport on a cloudy 36-degree March day was a fairly obvious sign.

Aides say he plans to enter the race later in the spring, after pushing a series of right-wing measures through the Florida legislature’s upcoming session.

He didn’t mention former President Donald Trump by name, although he did boast that his administration is known for avoiding “drama” and “palace intrigue,” a possible dig at his fellow Florida man.

The two Republican heavyweights are leading most other GOP candidates by wide margins although surveys are mixed over who would win a one-on-one race.

Trump, who declared his comeback White House campaign last year, has already opened fire at DeSantis.

He boasted of helping farmers with subsidies and by boosting ethanol production, a big issue in corn-producing Iowa.

“Very small crowds for Ron DeSanctimonious in Iowa,” Trump wrote on his social media site, using his favored derisive nickname. “He’s against Farmers, Social Security, and Medicare, so why would people show up?”