TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — With an open presidential primary coming in 2028, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is launching an offensive to win back supporters of the Republican leader whom he dared to challenge in the last election. And he’s doing so by latching onto President Donald Trump’s most prominent issue — immigration.

In a sign DeSantis was not proving a threat to Trump, the Republican Party of Florida voted in September 2023 not to require participants in the state's 2024 presidential primary to pledge to support the eventual nominee, which ensured Trump would not have to pledge support to DeSantis when the two were locked in a bitter campaign.

The list of influential Florida Republicans in Trump’s second term goes on: Former state attorney general Pam Bondi is set to play that role nationally, while Reps. Cory Mills, Anna Paulina Luna and Kat Cammack are rising within the House GOP.