This op-ed by State Policy Network’s Erin Norman was first published at The Well News

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently headed to Michigan for a few speaking engagements that informally confirmed his intention to run for president in 2024. The governor of the once-swing-now-red Florida brings a stark contrast to Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her newly minted blue trifecta.

On every major issue of the day, Florida and Michigan have taken opposite approaches. One-thousand miles away on the same day in April, Whitmer signed a bill repealing Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban while Florida passed a DeSantis-backed bill that bans abortion after six weeks. In Michigan, Whitmer signed an 11-bill gun control plan while DeSantis recently enacted a law that allows concealed carry without a permit in Florida. Michigan recently made headlines by being the first state to repeal a right-to-work law since 1965 while in Florida DeSantis passed a law that would prohibit public employers from directly deducting union dues, instead making union members arrange dues payments on their own.

It seems that the vastly different approaches are serving both governors well. Recent Morning Consult polling shows that Whitmer and DeSantis have identical approval ratings of 56%, significantly beating President Biden’s 43% rating. Both governors won their 2022 reelections with considerable room to spare and, for whatever it’s worth, both draw the ire of former President Donald Trump.

Read the full piece at The Well News here.