Ahead of potential presidential bid, DeSantis heads to New York for law enforcement event

NEW YORK — Florida governor and potential Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis plans to travel to New York City for a law enforcement event Monday, according to a copy of an invitation obtained by POLITICO.

DeSantis, who is expected to declare his candidacy in the spring, is listed as a “special guest for a discussion on protecting Law and Order in New York,” according to the email. The event will take place early Monday morning, coinciding with the federal Presidents Day holiday.

Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. at the Privé catering hall on the South Shore of Staten Island — one of the few Republican bastions in the otherwise Democratic stronghold of New York City. Staten Island is the only one of the city’s five boroughs to support former President Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020. It is a suburban enclave in a city of mass transit, congestion and skyscrapers, and is home to many police officers and firefighters who tend to back GOP candidates.

Among those expected to attend the event are state Assembly Member and head of the local GOP, Michael Tannnousis; City Council Republican members Joe Borelli and David Carr; and Assembly Member Michael Reilly, according to someone with knowledge of the event who would only speak on the condition of anonymity. Law enforcement union leaders are also likely to be on hand, the person said.

The invitation indicates DeSantis will hold additional events in the city, but doesn’t specify details. National candidates from both major parties often travel to New York to hold fundraisers, given the city’s preponderance of well-heeled political donors.

Despite New York being a Democratic bastion, Republicans did surprisingly well in the state during the 2022 election cycle.