“The Florida of Today Is the America of Tomorrow”: Ron DeSantis’s New College Takeover Is Just the Beginning of the Right’s Higher Ed Crusade

GOP’s Worst Nightmare • Biden Does Tampa • 2016 Redux, Anyone? [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( “The Florida of Today Is the America of Tomorrow”: Ron DeSantis’s New College Takeover Is Just the Beginning of the Right’s Higher Ed Crusade Good morning from the Hive newsroom! Kathryn Joyce [takes]( a deep dive into Ron DeSantis’s higher education crusade in Florida, and the chilling remaking of one of the state’s liberal arts schools into a “Hillsdale of the South.” Joe Biden made his way to DeSantis’s backyard Thursday, riding a wave of momentum from his fiery State of the Union speech, Eric Lutz [reports](. Will that do anything to loosen the GOP’s death grip on Florida? Lutz says it’s hard to tell. Meanwhile, top Republican donors and strategists, terrified that Donald Trump will win the GOP nomination and lose the presidential election to Biden, are urging White House hopefuls to act strategically in the primary, Bess Levin [writes](. But so far, as Caleb Ecarma [notes](, it looks like the 2024 Republican presidential primary might shape up to be a lot like the one in 2016, with Nikki Haley likely announcing next week and GOP governors Chris Sununu and Brian Kemp reportedly eager to jump in too. Elsewhere, Levin [finds]( Missouri Republicans voting to affirm the right of children to carry guns in public without adult supervision. Thanks for reading. [“The Florida of Today Is the America of Tomorrow”: Ron DeSantis’s New College Takeover Is Just the Beginning of the Right’s Higher Ed Crusade]( By [Kathryn Joyce]( [Republican politicians and right-wing activists are transforming one of the Sunshine State’s liberal arts schools into the “Hillsdale of the South,” a strategy that could be replicated across the country. As one New College alum tells Vanity Fair, “I weep for our nation if DeSantis wins a presidential bid.”]( [Read more button](   [After a Fiery State of the Union, Biden Is Traveling to Florida to Hit Republicans Where It Hurts]( By [Eric Lutz]( [The president is planning to visit the home turf of foils like Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, and Rick Scott, with plenty of momentum from earlier this week to bring home a powerful message about Social Security and Medicare.]( [Read more button](   [Republicans Are Terrified Donald Trump Will Win the GOP Nomination and Lose to Joe Biden]( By [Bess Levin]( [Top donors and strategists are desperate to stop him.]( [Read more button](   [Republicans Appear Fully Willing to Repeat the 2016 Presidential Primary]( By [Caleb Ecarma]( [Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley is expected to declare next week. Meanwhile, GOP governors Chris Sununu and Brian Kemp are now also reportedly in the mix.]( [Read more button](   [Missouri Republicans Vote to Affirm Toddlers’ Rights to Carry Firearms in the Streets]( By [Bess Levin]( [Yes, it’s exactly as crazy as it sounds.]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe](newsletter=vf) Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2023 Condé Nast