DeSantis Takes Clear Aim on Trump in Nevada, a Key Early State

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In black boots, jeans and an untucked shirt, the fund-raiser dress code defined by ranch casual Gov. Florida’s Ron DeSantis on Saturday tried to convince Republican voters in Nevada still loyal to former President Donald J. Trump that the parties’ formula for winning elections is beyond its shelf life.

Leading a conservative jamboree in the swing state, where loyalties to Mr. Trump is still not mentioned by Mr. DeSantis was his rival for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination in a speech in Gardnerville, Nev.

But the Florida governor sought to draw a less subtle contrast between himself and the former president, a one-time ally who is the party’s most front-runner in a crowded Republican field. He described last years midterm elections as another disappointing losing streak for the party, while highlighting his more than 1.2 million vote margin of victory in his re-election last November.

We’ve built a culture of defeat in this party, Mr. DeSantis said, adding, You can’t mulligan the 2024 election.

Mr. spoke. DeSantis spent about an hour at the Basque Fry, a barbecue fund-raiser that supports conservative groups in Nevada.

Steven Cheung, a campaign spokesman for Mr. Trump, responded to Mr. DeSantis in a statement to The Times on Saturday.

Ron DeSantis is a proven liar and fraud, he said. That is why he has fallen in the polls both nationally and statewide. He must be careful before his chances in 2028 are completely gone.

The Basque Fry has grown since it was first held in 2015, bringing Republican presidential candidates to Corley Ranch in the Carson Valley with its rugged Sierra Nevada backdrop.

Past headliners have included Ted Cruz, Scott Walker, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who earlier this month entered the race, was scheduled to attend in 2017 but canceled as Hurricane Harvey battered the Gulf Coast.

It’s a chance for White House hopefuls to make an elevator pitch to rank-and-file conservatives in Nevada, an important early proof that in 2021 a primary has replaced its party-run caucuses. Republicans oppose the change, which was passed by the State Legislature, and are suing the state to keep the caucuses.

The visit of Mr. DeSantiss in Nevada went for a week where Mr. Trump dominated the news cycle with his arraignment Tuesday in a 37-count federal indictment over his handling of classified documents after leaving office.

As the chief Republican of Mr. Trumps rival, Mr. DeSantis made the accusation outright, but instead cited GOP attacks on the Justice Department and vowed to replace the FBI director if elected.

We are going to end this government arming once and for all, said Mr. DeSantis.

In 2016, the last presidential election in which the GOP did not have a sitting president, Mr. Trump in the Republican caucuses in Nevada, where rural activists and Mormon voters hold sway. He finished 22 percentage points ahead of his closest rival, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.

During the midterm elections last fall, Mr. Trump for Republicans in Nevada at a rally in Minden, which is next to Gardnerville. The elections turned out to be a mixed showing for the GOP, which flipped the governor’s office but lost key races for the Senate and House, including the seat held by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat considered vulnerable.

The defeat of Ms. Cortez Mastos to Adam Laxalt, a former Nevada attorney general who was the de facto host of Saturday’s fund-raiser, helped give Democrats direct control of the Senate.

Mr. Laxalt, who was roommate of Mr. DeSantis when they were both Navy officers, introduced him to the crowd of about 2,500 people.

This is the kind of leader we need, he said.

Mr. started Laxalt started the Basque Fry in 2015, building on a tradition started by his grandfather, Paul Laxalt, a former United States senator and governor of Nevada who died in 2018.

Northern Nevada has one of the nation’s highest concentrations of people of Basque descent, a group that includes Mr. Laxalt, who also ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018.

Jim McCrossin, 78, a retiree from Virginia City, Nev., who surveys the ranch in a DeSantis cap, said he used to support Mr. Trump but worries about his selectivity.

I just think there’s a lot of anger for him, he said, adding, Trump has been arrested twice, and it probably won’t be the last time.

Mr. said there is no drama. DeSantis.

His household is divided: His wife, Jacquie McCrossin, says she still favors Mr. Trump, even if he has a DeSantis cap.

Shellie Wood, 72, a retired nail technician and gold miner from Winnemucca, Nev., who wore a Trump 2020 camouflage cap, said Mr. DeSantis would make a strong running mate for Mr. Trump, but this is not his moment.

However, Ms. Mr. Wood DeSantis made a positive impression on him with his record in Florida.

He took a stand against Disney, and that’s something a lot of people don’t have the guts to do, he said.

Repeatedly reminded by Mr. DeSantis has spent much of his feud with Disney, which he and other Republicans have turned into an avatar of woke culture after the company criticized a state law that banned classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity.

In the build-up to his formal debut as a candidate last month, Mr. DeSantis has been labeled by the media and rivals as awkward in retail politics and in one-on-one settings with voters.

Before taking the podium, with the snow-capped mountains behind him, Mr. DeSantis to a group of VIPs for about 30 minutes at a reception closed to the news media.

Outside the reception, Casey DeSantis, the governors wife, who has been an omnipresent campaigner and influence on her husband’s administration policies, took selfies and signed autographs for local Republicans. He also has boots on.

While Mr. DeSantis impressed many in attendance, there was still a pro-Trump undercurrent at the event. Shawn Newman, 58, a truck driver from Fernley, Nev., who hovered near a table with DeSantis campaign swag while wearing the ubiquitous red Trump cap, said Mr. Trump is still his candidate.

Trumps above their reach, he said of the other Republican candidates.

As Mr. DeSantis made a rope line after his speech, a man handed him a campaign hat to sign. In his other hand, he held a Trump cap.

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