The repercussions of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ bungled announcement that he will run for president appear to be more severe than originally anticipated.
Although the politician’s campaign war chest received a significant boost as a result of the blunder that occurred when he announced his candidacy, the candidate has lost a significant amount of support from people who had previously endorsed him. However, despite the difficulty, it is far too early to write him off as a lost cause.
A number of state legislators from the state of New Hampshire have resolved to back former President Donald Trump rather than Governor DeSantis in the 2024 presidential election. During the early stages of DeSantis’ Twitter Spaces campaign, the candidate encountered technical difficulties, which ultimately led to the decision to swap endorsements.
Thursday, Republican state representative Sandra Panek released a statement indicating that she now supports the former president. As justification for her support of the former president, she cited the governor’s inability to “properly run” his announcement.
“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.
State representative Juliet Harvey-Bolia (R) conveyed a similar viewpoint. Ron DeSantis will be a formidable candidate in 2028. She predicted that Republicans should band together to support President Trump.
There have been no polls conducted since DeSantis’ announcement, but a Quinnipiac survey conducted on May 24 indicated that Trump maintained and expanded his lead over the governor.
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.
Despite the fact that former President Donald Trump continues to enjoy a significant popularity advantage over DeSantis, a number of factors will influence the election in the coming weeks.
Trump maintains a substantial lead over DeSantis in the contest for the Republican nomination. Despite the possibility of a minor rise in popularity, the governor’s chances of a significant surge have been hampered by technological difficulties and other issues at the beginning of his campaign and his performance in subsequent media appearances. A more successful launch would have likely garnered more attention and possibly increased DeSantis’ initial support, had it occurred.
Despite early failings, DeSantis raised an astounding $8.2 million on the day of his campaign announcement, which is nothing to scoff at. This financial accomplishment is significant because it demonstrates the governor’s ability to garner financial support from his conservative base. In addition, the funds enable DeSantis to regain the trust of Republican voters and strengthen his campaign infrastructure, both of which are crucial to his success in the primary.
DeSantis still has ample time to gain ground and close the gap with Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Despite the former president’s widespread support among Republicans, it is essential to recognize how unpredictable politics can be. As the campaign progresses, there is no assurance that Trump will not make some of his signature mistakes or encounter situations that could imperil his standing. DeSantis could exploit the situation to establish himself as a formidable candidate and win the support of Republican voters.
Simply stated, DeSantis’ malfunctioning announcement was a setback, but not a fatal one. There is no doubt about it. There is still ample time before the primaries, and if the governor can surmount some of his flaws, he may have a better chance of defeating the incumbent.