The fallout from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s bungled announcement that he is running for president appears to be more severe than was initially thought.
Although the politician’s campaign war chest was given a considerable lift as a result of the gaffe that occurred when he announced his intention to run for office, the candidate has lost major support from people who had previously endorsed him. Nevertheless, in spite of the obstacle, it is far too soon to write him out as a lost cause.
In the battle for the presidency in 2024, a number of state legislators from the state of New Hampshire have decided to throw their support behind former President Donald Trump rather than Governor DeSantis. During the beginning of DeSantis’ campaign on Twitter Spaces, the candidate had some technical challenges, which ultimately led to the decision to switch endorsements.
Republican state representative Sandra Panek issued a statement on Thursday indicating that she is now supporting the previous president. She cited the governor’s inability to “properly run” his announcement as the reason for her endorsement of the former president.
“After being less than impressed with Ron DeSantis’s official announcement last night, I am hereby switching my endorsement to President Donald J. Trump,” she said. “We can’t expect someone to run the country if they can’t properly run their own campaign launch.”
“The stakes are simply too great in 2024 to take a chance on someone as unreliable as DeSantis — we need a proven winner like President Trump to take back the White House and Make America Great Again,” the lawmaker continued.
Juliet Harvey-Bolia (R), a state representative, expressed a similar viewpoint. In 2028, Ron DeSantis will be a strong candidate. Republicans should come together to support President Trump, she predicted.
There haven’t been any polls issued since DeSantis’ declaration, but a Quinnipiac survey from May 24 showed Trump maintaining his strong advantage against the governor and growing his margin over him.
From the report:
As the field of Republican presidential contenders in the 2024 primary race develops, former President Donald Trump remains at the top of the list of declared or potential candidates with 56 percent support among Republican and Republican leaning voters, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 25 percent, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University national poll released today. Former United Nations Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley receives 3 percent. Former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie each receive 2 percent. The remaining 8 listed declared or potential candidates each receive less than 2 percent support.
“This compares to a Quinnipiac University poll on March 29th when Trump received 47 percent and DeSantis received 33 percent,” the report added.
Even while former President Donald Trump continues to enjoy a sizable popularity advantage over DeSantis, there are a number of factors that will influence the election going forward.
In the battle for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump still has a sizable lead over DeSantis. The governor’s chances of a significant surge have been hindered by the technological difficulties and other problems during the beginning of his campaign and his performance in subsequent media appearances, even though the governor might see a slight increase in popularity. A more successful launch would have probably attracted more attention and perhaps increased DeSantis’ initial support.
DeSantis raised an amazing $8.2 million on the day of his campaign announcement, which is nothing to sneeze at despite the early failures. This financial success is important to note since it illustrates the governor’s capacity to mobilize financial backing from his conservative constituency. Additionally, the monies raised provide DeSantis a chance to win back Republican voters’ trust and strengthen his campaign infrastructure, both of which are essential for success in the primary.
There is still plenty of time for DeSantis to gain ground and reduce the gap with Trump in the 2024 presidential primary. Despite the fact that the former president has broad support from Republicans, it is important to understand how unpredictable politics can be. There is no assurance that Trump won’t make some of his characteristic errors or run into situations that could jeopardize his status as the campaign goes on. DeSantis might take advantage of the situation to establish himself as a strong alternative and earn support from Republican voters.
Simply put, DeSantis’ glitchy announcement was a setback, but it was by no means a fatal one. There is no denying that. There is still plenty of time for the primaries, and if the governor can work to overcome some of his shortcomings, he may have a greater chance of defeating the incumbent.
