Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is bidding for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is scheduled to speak at an invite-only event Monday in Elmhurst for members of the Fraternal Order of Police of Chicago and potentially give some moderate political talk to Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker. Will provide refund. ,
The President’s Day trip to an as-yet-undisclosed location in the Chicago area would represent an escalation of the feud between DeSantis and Pritzker, which Center some of Estimate As a possible 2024 Democratic presidential nominee if President Joe Biden does not seek to be nominated for a second term.
In July, the Pritzker was keynote speaker For a gathering of Florida Democrats in Tampa where he targeted Florida Gov.
Pritzker acknowledged DeSantis as “Donald Trump with just a mask” and, more recently, has attacked Republican policies blocking some of the racist and anti-gay curriculum teachings.
In delivering his United State of the State and Budget speech on Wednesday, though not mentioning DeSantis by name, Pritzker made a “A fierce strain of nationalism is plaguing our country, led by people’s leaders who promote censorshipand the right wing who are waging an “ideological battle” that “serves to marginalize people and ideas they don’t like.”
In January, Pritzker wrote a letter to the College Board asking it “not to change the Advanced Placement African American Studies curriculum to fit Florida’s racist and homophobic laws.”
The College Board said earlier this month that it is revising the AP curriculum to eliminate lessons on Black Lives Matter and the reparations movement. But after the DeSantis administration criticized the curriculum as left-leaning and lacking “educational value”, the College Board said the criticism amounted to “slander”. That prompted DeSantis to suggest earlier this week that his state might drop AP classes from its schools.
The DeSantis political campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the reasons behind the Florida governor’s visit, which is open only to members of the law enforcement community. But a DeSantis speech to Chicago’s FOP Lodge 7, scheduled for an undisclosed location in west suburban Elmhurst, will appear aimed at attacking Pritzker and Democrats over the spread of violent crime in the city, as the mayoral election nears.
The invitation to the event states that the location will be disclosed to registrants “48 hours prior to the event”.
John Catanzara, head of the Chicago police union, as well as city and state FOPs, endorsed Pritzker’s Republican opponent Darren Bailey in last year’s gubernatorial campaign. The Chicago FOP has endorsed challenger Paul Vallas for Chicago mayor as Lori Lightfoot seeks a second term.
Catanzara was not available for comment.
A law enforcement source said DeSantis was supposed to speak with the Chicago FOP within the past two months but that schedule was canceled.
Gorner reported from Springfield.
