The number one reason for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to run for President is that President Biden and the Democrats fear him more than any other potential candidate – including former President Trump. We can know that from the constant drubbing DeSantis is getting from left-wing media.
MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough has made DeSantis his favorite attack target – even ahead of President Trump. In a back-handed way, Scarborough and his clan are promoting Trump. They want the former President to get the 2024 GOP nomination, figuring he is the easiest for Biden to beat.
Scarborough’s latest suggestion is for DeSantis to sit out the 2024 cycle. Scarborough argues that whether it is Trump or Biden in the White House in 2025, DeSantis would have a clear shot as the GOP nomination in 2028, and an easier path to the presidency. According to “Morning Joe,” he would not have to endure the withering attacks from Trump.
At this moment, DeSantis is the number one greatest threat to Trump’s return. National polls have them running neck-and-neck among GOP voters. That is very good news for DeSantis at this stage of the game. It means that a guy who has never run a national race is running even to a guy who has been in the news for decades – and has dominated the national headlines for the past seven years. All the other potential contenders are stuck in single digits. That can change a lot in the next 21 months – and certainly will.
With DeSantis in the race, it is less likely that a field of Republican candidates would divide the anti-Trump vote so evenly as to allow Trump to win early primaries with a relatively small plurality – as he did in 2016. It is also likely that DeSantis presence would deter a few of the potential contenders.
Not only is DeSantis competitive in the polls, but he is also popular with the major donors – and the small donors. In a Trump/DeSantis contest, the other candidates may not be able to acquire the necessary funding.
There is a big question mark hanging over the Republican Party. Where is the political center of gravity? Are most Republican voters eager to return Trump to the Oval Office as a means of settling old scores? Or is the majority eager to move on to new and younger leadership – leaving Democrats with an old lineup. It will not make much difference on issues since both DeSantis and Trump advance conservative policies.
The only way to answer that question is for DeSantis to run.
DeSantis’ two concerns should be getting into the ring too soon. Early frontrunners do not have a great track record. They tend to be targets of criticism from all the other contenders – and the voters get a little weary of them. Of course, one could argue that Trump is the early leader – and will suffer the jinx.
DeSantis’s second concern is to not get into a barroom fight with Trump. DeSantis is not the enemy of the Trump folks. He is a solid conservative. He will cut into the so-called Trump base. But he can attract Republican voters who are not committed – or opposed — to Trump. I know the press puts Trump’s “base” at 30 to 40 percent. I disagree. In a Trump/DeSantis race, I would put Trump’s locked-in vote at no more than 15 percent.
Some suggest that DeSantis is not ready for prime time. He is not a good campaigner – lacks charisma. They say he is not well known around the country.
I do not understand the last comment. He is extremely well known among Republican voters across the nation. Otherwise, his polling numbers would not be as good as they are. As the chief contender against Trump, he would have almost universal name recognition among voters.
DeSantis may not be as bombastic and flamboyant as Trump, but that could be more of an asset than a liability. Bombast and Flamboyancy are going out of style.
As I have written in the past … if you go by Trump’s and Biden’s ages, DeSantis could run in any presidential election up to and including 2054. But real opportunity usually comes only once – and this seems to be DeSantis’ year. (I would have said more absolutely that “opportunity comes only once,” but Biden is the exception to the rule.)
If I were DeSantis, I would keep them guessing for now – but I would be planning my entrance into the center ring of American politics later this year.
So, there ‘tis.