Bad news dogs the presidential campaign of Ron DeSantis. That’s very bad news for the folks back home.
Life in Florida becomes so less fraught with the governor occupied elsewhere. We’d rather he was still hustling votes in some other state then sulking around Tallahassee in a loser’s funk.
But national media outlets that once marveled at his ascendency in presidential politics have lately featured headlines like: “DeSantis’ GOP support declining in new NBC poll.” (NBC News)
Or: “Ron DeSantis’ approval rating has collapsed.” (Newsweek)
Or: “DeSantis’s stalling campaign: how to lose friends and alienate people.” (The Guardian)
Or: “Ron DeSantis tanks in the polls as voters get to know him.” (Jezebel)
Or: “Trump cruises, DeSantis flatlines in polling.” (Politico)
FiveThirtyEight averaged the leading national polls this week and found DeSantis trailing Donald Trump among Republican voters by nearly 30 points. His numbers have been fading since mid-February.
Somehow, DeSantis has failed — so far — to captivate Republican voters despite his relentless exploitation of crafted-for-MAGA issues like race, abortion, immigration, guns, gender dysphoria, gay rights, drag queens, the Disney Company.
This lowdown stuff was supposed to win over ultra-conservative Republican voters and portray DeSantis as a bare-knuckle brawler who could be as much a tough guy as Trump, but without the distractions of Stormy Daniels or those moldering boxes of classified documents....
...Not that the prospect of another term for Trump shouldn’t also terrify Floridians. Trump, who forgives no slights, could well decide he’ll punish disloyal DeSantis by withholding federal largess from Florida (except, of course, for Palm Beach).
Hapless Floridians could be caught in the crossfire as the two pettiest bullies in American politics go at one another.
But DeSantis, with his falling poll numbers and flagging campaign, is an immediate worry. Unless early state primary voters take pity on Florida, DeSantis could be coming home much sooner than expected.
So be mindful. Our pissed-off loser-governor will be raging after anyone or anything with the faintest whiff of woke.
