DeSantis: Losing traction in the GOP
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis went to Washington, D.C., last week hoping to put “a fresh shine on his flagging campaign,” said Alex Shephard at The New Republic. The result was “an epic disaster.” Aiming to “regain momentum” by notching Capitol Hill endorsements, he instead “walked into an ambush.” While he was there, several Florida House members endorsed Trump; by week’s end, the tally of representatives from DeSantis’ home state backing Trump stood at 11, with just one endorsing DeSantis. Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas agreed to meet DeSantis—and right afterward “gleefully” announced he was endorsing Trump. For “the charisma-free” DeSantis, who just months ago seemed ascendant as a “saner and more reliable” alternative to Trump, the Capitol Hill humiliation was “the culmination of weeks of stagnation and decline.” Even some of his bigger backers are now wondering if DeSantis should bow out and “keep his powder dry for 2028.”
The snub from Florida lawmakers “doesn’t bode well” for DeSantis’ chances, said Rachael Bade in Politico. “It’s playing into the narrative that DeSantis is too aloof” and unlikable to succeed on the national stage. “I think he’s an asshole,” was the assessment of former Michigan Rep. David Trott, who served with DeSantis in the House. “He’s just a very arrogant guy.” Meanwhile, there’s growing concern the governor is alienating voters with his “hard-line stances” in Florida, said Shane Goldmacher in The New York Times. His recent signing of a six-week abortion ban “puts him on the far right on an issue” that energizes Democrats and plays poorly with independents. And his relentless, bitter campaign to punish Disney “has raised alarms, even among would-be allies.”
These DeSantis obituaries are “a bit much,” said Rich Lowry in National Review. Yes, he’s “hit turbulence,” but he hasn’t even announced yet. A shrewd and savvy politician, DeSantis is running “a strong second in most states.” If he “gets a bump from his announcement” and starts hitting Trump hard, the race may suddenly look “very competitive.” Perhaps, said Eric Lutz in Vanity Fair, but DeSantis is reminding some Republicans of Jeb Bush, another stiff Florida governor who seemed to be a front-runner—until Trump ruthlessly trampled him underfoot. In vying to win over the MAGA faithful, DeSantis may soon learn they “prefer the man who built their bandwagon rather than the guy who jumped on it.”