In short, both were Republican governors who essential fought liberalism in such a high profile way that a GOP presidential bid seemed the next likely step.
Among the fist try to draw such parallels is The Hill political columnist Joe Concha.
“The hype for Walker was palpable,” Concha writes about Walker’s failed 2016 bid. “Here we had a young governor who had won three gubernatorial elections in the swing state of Wisconsin with tons of momentum seeking the GOP nomination. … But a funny thing happened on the way to the nomination: Walker disappeared among the 17 other candidates seeking to represent the GOP.”
DeSantis, who just recently won reelection with big numbers has yet to declare a 2024 bid, as many have expected. But it a appears to be increasingly unclear whether he’ll do so, considering he’s slipped in the polls in hypothetical, one-on-one matchups with former President Trump.
A big difference between Walker in DeSantis, obviously, is that the Florida governor has yet to hit the debate stage, though like Walker in presence so far on the national stage, in early voting states, has not been overwhelmingly impressive.