He was once the fair-haired boy of politics. He was a congressman and then a successful governor. He won re-election by a stunning margin. He was lauded by local Democrats and Republicans. Without a formal announcement that he was running for president, he became the darling of mega donors, itching to give their money to anyone but Donald Trump. But early frontrunners have a tendency to stumble. Ask Jeb Bush.
Like the Greek tale of Icarus who flew too close to the sun, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has fallen from his lofty perch and is struggling to revive his flagging campaign. Having $100 million in campaign funds is no guaranty of anything in politics. DeSantis may have the funds, but he has made mistake after mistake in his efforts to topple former President Trump’s campaign for re-election.
Over a period of two years, DeSantis has focused on moving further to the right than Donald Trump. He has championed anti-gay legislative efforts, signed a law curbing abortions after six weeks, and has encouraged changes in school curriculums that make right-wing zealots dance with joy. He has taken on the Disney corporation, which brings 40 million visitors a year to Orlando.
While DeSantis may still be a star back in Florida, his extreme views have hurt him on the campaign trail, where voters are begging for someone with a fresh message who sounds like Donald Trump but isn’t Donald Trump. Aside from being boring, DeSantis spends all of his valuable time bragging about what he has accomplished in Florida. The problem is that not everyone agrees with what he has done in Florida.
When he isn’t bragging about his fight with Disney, he is constantly talking about his anti-woke efforts. I consider myself fairly well tuned into the political scene, but I don’t believe that the average voter understands what “woke” really means. It is a way of attacking liberal policies, but I don’t think the word “woke” will get you a winning ticket to the White House.
DeSantis has other problems. His original campaign team had no idea how to win over voters in places like Iowa and New Hampshire and spent millions on that effort. With only a few short weeks until his first Republican debate, DeSantis has fired his campaign manager and most of his campaign staff. When you are trying to convince voters that you are a good manager, you ought to be able to manage your own campaign first.
The history of Republican primaries should have been a lesson to DeSantis as well. When the 2016 presidential campaign started, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin’s Scott Walker were considered to be the hot properties. Both were greeted as the best possible candidates for the Republican nomination. Sadly, after the first presidential debate, both started to fade away. Within months they had flamed out.
DeSantis has the same dilemma as the other 10 announced candidates. Many moderate Republicans are looking for a person that they can embrace and that is not Donald Trump. DeSantis is afraid of alienating Trump voters and that blocks him from being considered by the voters he would need in a general election. Winning this year’s Republican primary is no guarantee of success in November.
The next two months will decide whether DeSantis has any chance to take on Donald Trump successfully. Former President Trump will likely have been indicted four times by various grand juries. It is possible that some potential Republican voters will start looking for alternatives to Trump and DeSantis needs to show he has the ability to become the party nominee.
It is possible that DeSantis is already toast and he doesn’t know it. Trump’s popularity with his base may be unshakable. But the voters are looking for someone who can win in November 2024 and there is a chance that if it isn’t DeSantis it might be someone else. For now it looks like DeSantis is like Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and crashed.
