DeSantis' State of the State address might be as much for Iowa voters as it is for Floridians

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' State of the State address on Tuesday is supposed to be about Florida's future. Iowa, though, is more likely at the front of his mind.

The speech kicking off Florida's annual legislative session comes exactly a week before Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, and DeSantis has been spending much more time in the Hawkeye State than the Sunshine State in recent weeks.

So it won't be a surprise if his sixth State of the State is as much a message to Iowa voters as it is a forecast of his continued vision for Florida.

“He will definitely say the state of the state is strong. He has to at least check that box, but I suspect he’s going to use his State of the State address as his last-ditch effort to pitch to national donors and to voters in Iowa,” House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell said. “He’d rather be on the ground in Iowa than he would be in Florida.”