{"id":26323,"date":"2024-01-23T07:51:24","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T12:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usa.businessupturn.com\/?p=26323"},"modified":"2024-01-23T07:51:24","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T12:51:24","slug":"us-election-2024-where-did-it-all-go-wrong-for-ron-desantis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/us-election-2024-where-did-it-all-go-wrong-for-ron-desantis\/26323\/","title":{"rendered":"US election 2024: Where did it all go wrong for Ron DeSantis?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In May of last year, Ron DeSantis embarked on his presidential journey, exuding confidence as he promised supporters \u201cthe Great American Comeback\u201d on a flag-adorned stage. However, seven months later, the man once dubbed \u201cTrump 2.0\u201d and \u201cTrump without the baggage\u201d has withdrawn from the White House race. DeSantis cited the absence of a \u201cclear path to victory\u201d against the formidable frontrunner, Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

Once considered a political rock star for his staunch stance against \u201cwoke ideology\u201d and a commendable track record as Florida\u2019s governor, DeSantis faced challenges that led to his downfall. Critics pointed to issues with his perceived lack of charisma, awkwardness with voters, and the overall strategy of his campaign. However, the primary reason for his demise was the formidable opponent he encountered in the form of Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist from New Hampshire, emphasized that DeSantis struggled to compete against Trump, who enjoyed unwavering support from his followers. Trump, with his established name recognition, abundant resources, and a committed voter base, presented a significant challenge for the Florida governor.<\/p>\n

The DeSantis campaign began 2023 on a high note, with the governor posing a substantial threat to Trump. His poll numbers were around 35%, within striking distance of the former president. Momentum was on DeSantis\u2019s side after a record re-election victory as Florida governor in November. Meanwhile, Trump faced criticism for the Republicans\u2019 midterm results.<\/p>\n

However, the campaign took a turn for the worse. Delaying the official launch provided Trump with an opportunity to rebuild his image as a political outsider amidst legal issues. By the time DeSantis officially declared his candidacy in May, his poll numbers had slumped to around 20%, while Trump soared above 50%.<\/p>\n

David Kochel, an Iowa Republican strategist, highlighted the DeSantis campaign\u2019s late start, stating that it allowed Trump to launch relentless attacks without effective responses from DeSantis\u2019s camp. While DeSantis may have hoped for Trump\u2019s legal troubles to impact his popularity, he refrained from criticizing Trump and often echoed his rival\u2019s claims of being unfairly targeted.<\/p>\n

The strategic decision to run to Trump\u2019s right on culture wars, rather than focusing on top voter concerns like economic issues, also played a role in DeSantis\u2019s downfall. The campaign\u2019s emphasis on culture wars left the moderate lane open for Nikki Haley, another contender in the race.<\/p>\n

DeSantis\u2019s limitations as a candidate were exposed on the national stage, particularly in comparison to Trump\u2019s larger-than-life persona. His perceived awkwardness and robotic personality failed to resonate with voters, especially in states like Iowa and New Hampshire, where retail politics carries significant weight.<\/p>\n

By securing second place in Iowa on January 15, the DeSantis campaign bought itself some time and expressed confidence moving forward. However, by suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump before the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries, DeSantis opted to exit gracefully without risking damage to his standing with Trump\u2019s followers.<\/p>\n

At 45 years old, DeSantis recognizes that this is not the end of his political journey. Supporters like Jack Figge are already looking ahead to 2028, expressing continued support for DeSantis despite the underwhelming campaign result in Iowa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In May of last year, Ron DeSantis embarked on his presidential journey, exuding confidence as he promised supporters \u201cthe Great\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":26324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[331],"class_list":["post-26323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-ron-desantis"],"reading_time":"3 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}