Cancelling the Jacksonville Convention Denies GOP Rising Stars a Major Opportunity Partner Matt Terrill tells the Tampa Bay Times

Ron DeSantis was supposed to star at Trump’s Florida convention. Not anymore.

A Jacksonville convention was a chance for the 41-year-old Republican to snag a top billing during Trump’s final coronation and test the waters for a potential run at the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.

Conventions are often an opportunity for the two political parties to showcase their benches. And for politicians, it’s a coveted chance at national exposure. The most notable recent example is the 2004 Democratic National Convention, which featured a little-known state senator from Illinois named Barack Obama.

“There’s no question that this convention not taking place is a missed opportunity, particularly for those who are rising stars in the Republican Party,” said Matt Terrill, a partner at the public affairs firm Firehouse Strategies who served as the Chief of Staff on Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign.

At the 2012 Republican Convention, Rubio was chosen to introduce Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee that cycle. That speech introduced the young senator to a national audience, propelling him to his own — albeit unsuccessful — presidential run in 2016.

With no convention coming to Jacksonville, DeSantis has been denied the opportunity Rubio got to try to sell America on how Republican leadership has benefited Florida.

Read the full article here.