Ron DeSantis is in Trouble
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Ron DeSantis is in Trouble
Despite previously looking as though he was a serious contender for President in 2024, DeSantis is now looking increasingly weak.
Despite media speculation that Trump was losing control of the Republican Party and that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis could replace him, there seems to be a shift towards the former president. And it appears DeSantis is in for a painful ride even before his campaign has started.
DeSantis has made quite a name for himself as Governor, signing the infamous ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’ and banning books and historical projects such as the 1619 Project. His so-called war on wokeness, which remains poorly defined by conservatives, has also made him a significant force in the culture war being waged in education.
That attention inevitably put DeSantis on the map as rumors spread that he may run for the GOP Presidential nomination in 2024, prompting some to argue that even liberals should hope that DeSantis wins to keep Trump from returning to public office.
And it did initially look like DeSantis could challenge the largely unpopular former president. A Wall Street Journal poll released in December 2022 showed that DeSantis beat Trump 52 to 38 percent. 86 percent of Republicans said that they saw DeSantis favorably compared to Trump’s 74 percent. Among the general electorate, 43 percent of surveyed voters viewed DeSantis favorably compared to roughly 36 percent for Trump.
However, that momentum has seemingly wavered. A new poll released by Wall Street Journal has seen a nearly perfect flip in support in Trump’s favor. Where DeSantis once possessed a 14-point lead over Trump, he now suffers a significant 13-point decline, putting him behind the former president.
While there is a lot of time from now until election day, the fact that DeSantis has suffered such polling issues consistently suggests that his chances of securing the GOP presidential nomination are growing weaker and weaker. If this trend continues, nobody should be surprised if Trump is the nominee again.