The Florida governor spent most of the day in private. If they were paying attention on Wednesday, they might not have gotten a good impression. He is a political heavyweight in Florida and a regular on Fox News, but allies acknowledge that most primary voters in other states don't know him well. The kitchen-sink attacks and nicknames won't be DeSantis' only hurdle. "He desperately needs a personality transplant and, to the best of my knowledge, they are not medically available yet," Trump added. Hours before the announcement, Trump argued in a social media post that "Ron DeSanctus" cannot win the general election or the GOP primary because of his previous votes in Congress on Social Security and Medicare. Trump and his team believe that DeSantis may be Trump's only legitimate threat for the nomination. He also scored several major policy victories during the Republican-controlled Legislature's spring session.Īware of DeSantis' draw, Trump has been almost singularly focused on undermining his political appeal for months. Yet DeSantis has one thing his rival does not: a credible claim that he may be more electable than Trump, who faces multiple legal threats, including criminal charges in New York, and who presided over Republican losses in three consecutive national elections.ĭeSantis, just six months ago, won his reelection in Florida by a stunning 19 percentage points - even as Republicans in many other states struggled. Not surprising," tweeted senior Trump adviser Chris LaCivita.ĭeSantis, who likely would not have become the Florida governor without Trump's endorsement, has adopted the former president's fiery personality, his populist policies and even some of his rhetoric and mannerisms. The governor has been courting primary voters in key states for much of the year and using an allied super political action committee to build a large political organization that is essentially a campaign in waiting and claims at least $30 million in the bank. Former Vice President Mike Pence is also considered a likely presidential candidate but has not yet announced a bid. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Tim Scott of South Carolina, former Arkansas Gov. The ultimate Republican nominee is expected to face Democratic President Joe Biden on the general election ballot in November 2024.ĭeSantis joins a field that also includes former U.N. He has generated significant interest among GOP primary voters by casting himself as a younger and more electable version of the 76-year-old former president. He enters the race looking up at Trump in early polls while facing serious questions about his far-right policies, his campaign-trail personality and his lack of relationships across the Republican ecosystem.
While his critics in both parties delighted in the rocky start, DeSantis' announcement marks a new chapter in his extraordinary rise from little-known congressman to two-term governor to a leading figure in the nation's bitter fights over race, gender, abortion and other divisive issues.ĭeSantis' path to the Republican presidential nomination will not be an easy one.
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