(C) Texas Tribune
This story was originally published by Texas Tribune and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



The Blast: Greg Abbott, Ron DeSantis and a flashback to 2021 [1]

[]

Date: 2023-03 

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Happy March, Blast subscribers.



March 2019 saw former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and John Hickenlooper, fresh off his terms as Colorado governor, announce they would vie for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. By that point, a dozen candidates had already announced their intention to challenge President Donald Trump.



So by no means is it too early to start counting in prospective presidential candidates — and even counting them out.



Patrick Svitek and James Barragán’s piece yesterday juxtaposing Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis helped jostle loose a memory in this former Florida reporter’s mind when they mentioned a joint news conference the governors held in 2021. I hope you’ll humor me with a trip back to that summer afternoon in Del Rio.



In June 2021, Abbott and Arizona’s then-Gov. Doug Ducey wrote a letter asking governors to commit more resources to border security, and DeSantis was one of the governors who answered that call. Around that time, border security, drug trafficking and human trafficking were emerging as key issues for Republicans, who accused President Joe Biden of ignoring immigration law.



DeSantis had intended to come to the U.S.-Mexico border weeks earlier, but a South Florida condo tower collapsed at the end of June, and the governor had been on the ground, at the rubble, nearly every morning in the wake of that tragedy.



Still, DeSantis kept his promise and a few weeks later toured the southern border and visited the personnel he deployed. With DeSantis on his turf, Abbott invited his Florida counterpart to a joint news conference.



Every sign and signal suggested Abbott was the host, from the seal of the governor of Texas draped over their table to the Texas Department of Public Safety chopper that sat behind them. But at least one person at the table didn’t get the memo.



I invite you to watch this KXAN clip to see what transpired. Clicking the thumbnail should take you to a YouTube video beginning 50 seconds in.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://mailchi.mp/texastribune/news-from-the-texas-tribune-ihq222uy1c

Published and (C) by Texas Tribune
Content appears here under this condition or license: Used with Permission: https://www.texastribune.org/republishing-guidelines/.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/texastribune/