| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and welcome to Tuesday. Rock and Roll All Nite — He's become a national rock star among conservative Republicans. And now, Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking his act out on the road. Strutter — After recent stops in Pittsburgh and Austin, DeSantis is jetting off to San Diego on Thursday as part of a half-dozen fundraising appearances planned for Southern California , according to POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt. (Get ready for the Gavin Newsom vs. DeSantis lockdown comparisons.) He will also head to Las Vegas, where former Nevada Attorney General — and longtime friend — Adam Laxalt is slated to host a high-dollar event. In the weeks to come, DeSantis is expected to make a fundraising tour through the Northeast as well. I was Made for Lovin' You — Isenstadt notes the parallels between DeSantis' fundraising efforts and those of former President George W. Bush, when he was governor of Texas. "DeSantis is very smart to use his reelection and his national ascendancy to travel the country, raising money and building a network that could serve him well in 2022 and beyond," Scott Jennings, a former top Bush political adviser said. "Circumstances are coming together for him quite nicely, and his operation appears agile enough to understand it all and take advantage of it." Shout it Out Loud — The DeSantis camp of course insists that this is all about his 2022 re-election efforts and has nothing to do with 2024. Yet the nonstop appearances on Fox News and other conservative media outlets, and the swing to the right on issues that aren't really problems in Florida, have helped DeSantis ramp up quite a following as the No. 1 contender to follow Donald Trump. The road out of state may go on forever for the DeSantis show. — WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is taking part in an online town hall to fight to recent rise in antisemitism. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com | | | | JOIN THURSDAY FOR A TALK ON RESETTING INTERNET PRIVACY: Calls for some type of national privacy law have gained traction in recent years. The U.S. has no overarching national law governing data collection and privacy. Instead, it has a patchwork of federal laws that protect specific data types, such as consumer health and financial information and the personal data generated by children. Join POLITICO for a conversation on tech, data and the future of user privacy, and the most viable path forward. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
|  | CAMPAIGN MODE | | ON THE ROAD AGAIN — "DeSantis cashes in on rising star status with big-money blitz," by POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt: When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses a group of well-heeled Republican Party donors on Thursday, he won't be on home turf like Naples' "Millionaires' Row" or in Indian Creek Island's "Billionaire Bunker" — he'll be across the country in San Diego, one of the GOP's few traditional power centers in California. The appearance is part of an aggressive summertime out-of-state fundraising swing, with DeSantis capitalizing on his rising profile to stuff his reelection coffers and cultivate a national donor network that could power a prospective 2024 presidential bid. The first-term Republican governor is set to hopscotch across Southern California for a half-dozen reelection fundraisers this week, including stops in Los Angeles, Irvine and Manhattan Beach. | 
Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis, right, waves to supporters with his wife, Casey, at an election party after winning the Republican primary, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) | Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo | 2024 PREVIEW? — "DeSantis joins GOP base in attacking China," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday railed against the Chinese government and the possible origins of Covid-19, playing on issues at the forefront of the conservative base. DeSantis lashed out at China during an event Monday in Miami, where he signed into law a measure targeting undue foreign influence in Florida's government and education system — a bill the Republican governor said are namely efforts to "start fighting back" against China. DeSantis, seen as a future Republican presidential contender, said academia in the U.S. is "permeated" by outside sources. He spoke at a podium embellished with a "Stop CCP influence" sign. CCP is an abbreviation for Chinese Communist Party. IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE? — "'Behind schedule': Florida Democrats struggle to recruit statewide candidates," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Democrats have so far not landed top tier candidates to run for any of the three Florida Cabinet posts in 2022 after some early top recruits passed on making statewide bids, a nod to the perceived strength of the Florida GOP headed into the election. "I would say without blushing or anything, we are probably a little bit behind schedule as far as that goes," said House Minority co-Leader Evan Jenne. "I do agree with that premise that we are starting to get to the point where we need to see people step up and start running. It's a year-and-a-half from election day, but there should be some movement soon." Possible contenders — While concrete shortlists are not yet readily available, there has been a behind-the-scenes movement. Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, for instance, is generating some informal support to run for attorney general, a position he said he is considering running for. "Floridians want leaders they can trust to get things done, and I'm honored to hear people saying I'd be a strong candidate for statewide office," Warren told POLITICO. "As I continue to do the job I was elected to do to reform our criminal justice system, I look forward to being part of the discussion about how we build safer and stronger communities across Florida." Most of the buzz surrounding recruiting an agriculture commission candidate centers on Palm Beach County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay, who did not respond to a request seeking comment. THE WAITING GAME — "Rubio may still want to be president one day. He's content to wait out Trump," by NBC News' Allan Smith: "When Sen. Marco Rubio ran for president the first time, he was in a hurry. But now, Rubio, R-Fla., is gearing for a third Senate bid, and he appears OK to wait. 'You can be the world's greatest surfer and you can show up to the beach with the best surfboard you can imagine,' he said in a recent interview when asked about his ambitions for 2024. 'But if there's no waves that day, there's nothing you can do about it.'" CONSIDERING GETTING IN — " Cuba activist Al Fox explores challenging Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate seat," by Tampa Bay Times' Romy Ellenbogen: "One of Tampa and Florida's most notable voices on Cuban relations is exploring a run against a man he stands in diametric opposition to: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Albert 'Al' Fox Jr., 77, has been an advocate for reestablishing relationships with Cuba for the past two decades as the president of the nonprofit he founded, Alliance for Responsible Cuba Policy Foundation. On Monday, the Democrat announced he's forming an exploratory committee for the 2022 Senate race." RUBIO LINE OF DEFENSE ON DEMINGS — "Rubio argues likely 2022 Democratic challenger Demings 'has voted for socialist things,'" by Fox News Paul Steinhauser: "Asked about [Rep. Val] Demings, [Sen. Marco] Rubio dismissed any description of her as a moderate. 'None of them will admit to being a socialist. She probably won't. But she certainly has voted for socialist things,' Rubio argued. 'How can you vote with "the Squad" 94% of the time and argue that you're not an honorary member of that group? How can you vote with Nancy Pelosi 100% of the time and argue that you're not a far-left, liberal extremist? So she'll have to answer to that, or whoever their candidate is will have to answer to what their voting record is,' the senator emphasized as he seemingly pointed to congressional voting record data from the independent, nonprofit news organization ProPublica." STILL PERCOLATING — "As Artiles criminal case unfolds, sham NPA candidate agrees to ethics violations, fines," by Miami Herald's Samantha J. Gross: "Meanwhile at the Florida Ethics Commission, [Alexis Pedro] Rodriguez has agreed to pay a $6,500 fine for filing an inaccurate financial disclosure form and for accepting money with the understanding that he would change his party affiliation from Republican to NPA, qualify to run and file a false disclosure form. The agreement called a joint stipulation was signed by [Alexis Pedro] Rodriguez's lawyer, William Barzee, and an ethics commission advocate last week and provided to the Miami Herald after a public records request. It differs from his stance in criminal court, where both Rodriguez and Artiles pleaded not guilty to a slew of other charges." MOVING AHEAD — "Organizers say getting initiatives to expand voting on Florida ballot won't be easy, but worth the effort," by Bay News 9's Mitch Perry: "Organizers behind the drive to place three separate citizen ballot initiatives on the 2022 ballot that would expand voter registration efforts say that they're not naïve about the formidable challenges ahead of them, but contend that they'll have the financial resources to make it happen. 'Democracy's worth it,' says Sean Shaw, the Florida Democratic Party attorney general nominee in 2018 and now the chairman of the group People Over Profits. 'What else is worth this hard effort we're going to do?' he says. 'This is a $15-$20 million effort. This is going to require tons of signatures. You get the signatures, you've still got to go before the Supreme Court and hope they don't kill it. There's a lot of hurdles here. It isn't going to be easy, but certainly, democracy's worth it.'" SABATINI V. MURPHY? — State Rep. Anthony Sabatini, a conservative legislator who often splits with his own party, announced Monday on Twitter that he is shifting his campaign for Congress to Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy. Sabatini initially filed for the seat held by GOP incumbent Rep. Dan Webster. But the Lake County Republican said he will now challenge "America-last, corrupt Democrat" Murphy. Murphy, who holds CD-07 in central Florida, recently announced she will seek a new term in Congress instead of challenging Sen. Marco Rubio. (Important caveat: The new maps haven't been drawn yet by the Legislature, so this could change between now and next year.) Response — "There's a reason why Central Florida voters consistently and overwhelmingly re-elect Stephanie Murphy — because she delivers for Florida families," Lauren Calmet, a spokesperson for Murphy's campaign, said about Sabatini's switch. "Stephanie is focused on doing her job and believes that if you listen to people, work hard, and get things done, voters will take care of the rest. There will be plenty of time for politics later." CRIST ON THE ROAD — Rep. Charlie Crist is starting a four-day "voting rights" tour on Tuesday as part of his campaign for governor. His first two stops will be in Tampa and Orlando, and that first stop will also include Rep. Kathy Castor, the Tampa Democrat who has already endorsed Crist's candidacy. During the tour, Crist will host roundtable discussions about voting. Crist has been extremely critical of the recent elections bill signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. NEW LEADERSHIP — Cecile Scoon, a civil rights lawyer from Panama City, has made history as the first Black woman elected to lead The League of Women Voters of Florida. She succeeds Patricia Brigham, who had been president since 2018. Scoon was elected this past Saturday as the next president for the 101-year-old organization that has been involved in some of the most important legal battles in recent years over election laws and redistricting. A graduate of Harvard and the University of Virginia, Scoon has previously held leadership posts within LWV and is a lifetime member of the Bay County branch of the NAACP. Scoon statement — "During our state convention, the League demonstrated how democracy should work when our grassroots members voted for new leadership. In doing this, League members repudiated times in the 1920s and later in the 1960s when white League members were not as welcoming to Black women. My election was a rejection of that troubling past and an embracement of diversity, equity and inclusivity." | | | | DON'T MISS THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT: POLITICO will feature a special edition of our Future Pulse newsletter at the 2021 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of global health industry leaders and innovators who are turning lessons learned from the past year into a healthier, more resilient and more equitable future. Covid-19 threatened our health and well-being, while simultaneously leading to extraordinary coordination to improve pandemic preparedness, disease prevention, diversity in clinical trials, mental health resources, food access and more. SUBSCRIBE TODAY to receive exclusive coverage from June 22-23. | | | | |
| | Bidenology | | 'IT WILL LOSE YOU VOTES' — "Biden shifts from Obama on Cuba post-Florida losses," by The Hill's Max Greenwood and Celine Castronuovo: "President Biden has taken a U-turn from the Obama administration's policies on Cuba after Democrats lost two consecutive presidential elections in Florida. While Biden ended or reversed a number of Trump-era policies upon taking office, including the U.S. exit from the Paris climate deal and the so-called Muslim travel ban, former President Obama's former vice president has kept in place Trump-era restrictions on Cuba following Obama's openings to the island nation." Florida, Florida, Florida — "The administration has said it's reviewing the country's policy on Cuba and hasn't publicly ruled out changes. But the retention of Trump's policies so far also follows deeply disappointing results for Democrats among Latino voters in Florida, where Cuban Americans are a vital voting bloc. 'You have to think that the reason that nothing has been done is because of some consideration about how Cuban Americans are going to take a shift in policy,' said Guillermo Grenier, a professor at Florida International University and one of the lead investigators of the school's Cuba Poll." | | DATELINE D.C. | | HAVANA SYNDROME — "Senate passes bill to aid directed-energy attack victims," by POLITICO's Andrew Desiderio : The Senate on Monday unanimously passed a bill that would boost medical care for American diplomats and spies who develop mysterious brain injuries amid an uptick in suspected directed-energy attacks on U.S. personnel at home and abroad. The bipartisan effort comes several weeks after POLITICO first reported that Americans were increasingly vulnerable to the suspected attacks and that administration officials were sounding the alarm to lawmakers behind closed doors. Solving the mystery — "The next step is to continue finding out who's doing this," [Sen. Susan] Collins said. [Mark] Warner and his counterpart atop the Intelligence Committee, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), have vowed to "get to the bottom of" the suspected attacks, and CIA Director William Burns is receiving daily briefings on the status of the government's investigation. | | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | BEHIND THE CURTAIN — "'Let's conspire': Hundreds of Scott Maddox texts emerge in Tallahassee public corruption case," by Tallahassee Democrat's Jeff Burlew: "Hundreds of private conversations between former City Commissioner Scott Maddox, members of his one-time inner circle and a who's-who of movers and shakers inadvertently surfaced as part of the federal government's public corruption case against him and his co-defendants. The communications, which include text messages and secretly recorded talks with undercover FBI agents, provide an unvarnished look into behind-the-scenes machinations that preceded charges against Maddox, former Downtown Improvement Authority Executive Director Paige Carter-Smith and businessman John 'J.T.' Burnette." Who's Nikki? — "Cab drivers, Uber supporters and others showed up for the public hearing, though Maddox didn't think much of the people [lobbyist Adam] Corey recruited to speak. 'They look like the cantina scene from Star Wars,' he said. Maddox added: 'I can't believe you brought these guys instead of Nikki.' It was not clear from the text whether the mention of 'Nikki' was a reference to Nikki Fried, who lobbied with Corey to advance medical marijuana before she was elected agriculture commissioner. Max Flugrath, a spokesman for Fried, said she did not believe Maddox and Corey were talking about her." THE NEXT TARGET — "DeSantis attacks 'critical race theory' as state looks to change teaching guidelines," by Miami Herald's Ana Ceballos: "Gov. Ron DeSantis is sowing division in Florida's education system as he targets the concept of critical race theory in the classroom and on the campaign trail, an effort that educators and Democrats, many of them Black, view as a political attempt to 'whitewash' and suppress discussions about race… The theory is not taught in any Florida school districts, state officials acknowledge. Still, DeSantis is repeatedly injecting it into discussions about how teachers should deliver lessons on civics and history to more than 2 million public school students in Florida. Appearing on Fox News Saturday night, DeSantis said he would start getting involved in school board races to attack candidates who support the education approach." — "Orange County still hopes to raise impact fees for roads, schools despite new state law," by Orlando Sentinel's Amanda Rabines and Stephen Hudak | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | ROUGH WATERS AHEAD? — "Norwegian threatens to defy DeSantis with fully vaccinated cruises," by Sun Sentinel's Ron Hurtibise: "Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced Monday that it plans to resume cruising from Miami in August with fully vaccinated passengers, a plan that threatens to defy orders of Gov. Ron DeSantis and creates yet more uncertainty about one of South Florida's most important tourist draws. The cruise line's announcement offered no indication that DeSantis has agreed to exempt cruise lines from his edict banning businesses from requiring vaccines, nor did it suggest that any sort of compromise had been reached between Norwegian and the governor." | | THE GUNSHINE STATE | | CHARGED — "Police arrest 3 teens linked to gang feud, mass shooting outside a Kendall hookah bar," by Miami Herald's David Ovalle: "Police detectives have arrested three teens who are believed to be part of the South Miami-Dade gang feud that led to a mass shooting at a graduation party in Kendall. The three teens, Yahtayvius McCutcheon, 17, Quantayvius McCutcheon, 19, and Keyshad Richardson, 19, are not charged with the drive-by shooting outside a hookah bar early Sunday that killed a state corrections officer. Instead, they are being charged with a shooting that happened minutes later, on Florida's Turnpike, targeting people who had just been at the graduation party. The charges: attempted murder with a deadly weapon." — "3 killed, 3 wounded as gun violence strikes South Miami-Dade near Homestead Air Reserve," by Miami Herald's Charles Rabin and Michelle Marchante | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | ONE NIGHT ONLY! — "Donald Trump, Bill O'Reilly plan to start 'conversation' tour in Florida," by Sun Sentinel's Anthony Man: "One of then-President Donald Trump's last big, mass rallies before the coronavirus pandemic was at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, in November 2019. He's coming back, just over two years later. The former president is teaming up with former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly for a series of four conversations in December. The first date, O'Reilly announced on his website Monday, is Dec. 11 at the Sunrise arena. Like all big arena shows, the tickets go on sale six months in advance. (Starting Monday at Ticketmaster.com.)" | | ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN | | BIRTHDAYS: State Rep. Kevin Chambliss … Kathy Mears, chief of staff for Senate President Wilton Simpson … South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ron Hurtibise
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