Governor Ron DeSantis to visit Hillsdale College.
On Thursday, April 6, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will speak at a dinner hosted by the Hillsdale College Special Events office.
The event will be held at 4 p.m. in the Searle Center, beginning with a panel discussion on K-12 education. A reception and dinner will follow, and the evening will close with Q&A between College President Larry Arnn and DeSantis.
Eighteen Michigan GOP legislators signed a letter earlier this year encouraging DeSantis to run for president. Many students and professors have been left wondering if this visit could mean something for his potential campaign.
“I think DeSantis is in effect testing the waters for running for president,” Professor of Politics Thomas West said. “He hasn’t declared. The speech is part of that. He wants to get out there talking to people and see whether there’s enough support.”
Other confirmed and potential presidential candidates have visited Hillsdale this semester including Vivek Ramaswamy and former Vice President Mike Pence.
“We had in 2016 a bunch of candidates coming here,” West said. “Ben Carson was here, Ted Cruz was at one point. It’s just kind of what we do. We let people come in and speak, and people react in any way they want.”
According to the Detroit News, DeSantis will also attend the Midland County Republican Party’s Spring Breakfast on April 6.
“Gov. DeSantis needs no introduction, and we are excited to announce he is coming to Midland,” the Midland County GOP said in a statement.
According to the contact center, event registration is currently closed with a growing waitlist. George Washington and Winston Churchill Fellows are some of the few students on the guest list for the event.
“Especially attending a college that places so much emphasis on the importance of an education that teaches critical thinking, it will be interesting to hear first-hand from Mr. DeSantis how he views the government’s proper role in that, and how he views recent Florida policies as either helping or hindering such a goal,” sophomore George Washington Fellow Vivian Turnbull said.
Sophomore Winston Churchill Fellow Gwen Thomspon said she appreciates the opportunity to hear from these political figures first hand instead of through the media.
“I have not followed DeSantis’ career as eagerly as some of my classmates, and so I’m excited to hear him speak in person, and judge him based on a firsthand experience,” Thompson said. “Especially since Mr. Ramaswamy and Vice President Pence have both visited, and as we look ahead to election season, it’s been great have direct experience of these important figures. You can read the news all you like, but there’s nothing like seeing and hearing the man himself.”