DeSantis cashes in on rising star status with big-money blitz

When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses a group of well-heeled Republican Party donors on Thursday, he won’t be on home turf like Naples’ “Millionaires’ Row” or in Indian Creek Island’s “Billionaire Bunker” — he’ll be across the country in San Diego, one of the GOP's few traditional power centers in California.

The appearance is part of an aggressive summertime out-of-state fundraising swing, with DeSantis capitalizing on his rising profile to stuff his reelection coffers and cultivate a national donor network that could power a prospective 2024 presidential bid.

The first-term...