How Ron DeSantis went from GOP prom queen to MAGA wallflower
b'This week, the rumors became reality as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott announced their long-awaited presidential campaigns. The contrast between the two events foreshadowed all of the big questions for next year\\u2019s Republican primaries.\\n\\nTim Scott, who is a favorite among his senate colleagues \\u2014 but who is mostly unknown outside of his home state and the Washington, D.C., fundraising circuit \\u2014 preached optimism and unity while sharing the stage with his mother.\\n\\nRon DeSantis, on the other hand, did something a little different. He announced his campaign on Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk. But for many, the event\\u2019s glitchy start was more memorable than DeSantis\\u2019s stern message to fellow Republicans.\\n\\nIt was the perfect setup for the choice Republicans will have to make in Iowa, New Hampshire, and beyond: Do they want a president who follows in Ronald Reagan\\u2019s footsteps \\u2013 one who is optimistic and driven by ideas \\u2013 who shakes hands and kisses babies? Or do they want someone like Trump: a leader who uses the Internet to press the attack on the cultural issues that have divided the country. \\n\\nNow, Scott and DeSantis join a crowded GOP field that includes former governors Nikki Haley and Asa Hutchinson; entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; and of course, the dominant frontrunner, Donald Trump.\\n\\nThis week on Playbook Deep Dive, Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza talks about Scott, DeSantis, and all things 2024 with Jonathan Martin, POLITICO\\u2019s Politics Bureau Chief; and co-author of the best-seller, This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America\\u2019s Future.'