Sign up to receive updates on the 2024 US Presidential Election for free.
We will send you a daily digest email, called myFT Daily Digest, which will provide you with the latest news on the US presidential election every morning.
Ron DeSantis is facing increasing doubts about the effectiveness of his strategy for the 2024 White House bid. He has taken a sharp shift to the right on issues such as gay rights, abortion, and immigration in an attempt to surpass Donald Trump.
Since its launch in late May, DeSantis’ campaign for the Republican presidential nomination has been struggling. Trump has solidified his lead in national polls, leaving DeSantis unable to catch up.
However, DeSantis’ embrace of hardline positions and extreme rhetoric seems to be backfiring. These tactics have not gained him any additional support from Republican primary voters and have instead led to a broad backlash.
This week, DeSantis faced widespread criticism for a video clip released by his campaign, which attacked Donald Trump for being too lenient on LGBTQ policies. The ad featured images from the TV series Peaky Blinders and the movie American Psycho to portray DeSantis as the solution. This move has further marginalized DeSantis.
Eric Levine, a Republican donor and lawyer based in New York, commented on DeSantis’ extreme positions and rhetoric, stating, “He’s not only taking extreme positions — he’s talking about them in the most extreme ways possible. He’s marginalizing himself.”
DeSantis’ rightward shift has also been evident in other areas. During his visit to the US-Mexico border, he pledged to be tougher on immigration than Trump and advocated for authorities to shoot drug smugglers on sight.
DeSantis has already signed a highly restrictive six-week abortion ban in Florida and continues to criticize “woke” companies like Disney. However, he has avoided criticizing Trump for his role in the January 6th Capitol attack and his denial of the 2020 election results.
Adam Geller, a Republican pollster from New Jersey, commented on DeSantis’ hardline positions: “[DeSantis is] still losing badly among primary voters who are conservative or very conservative. And by taking such a hard position in the hope of moving some of those Trump voters, he’s undercutting his electability argument.”
DeSantis’ strategy of appealing to swing voters by running to the right is seen as a misstep by Gunner Ramer, the political director for the anti-Trump Republican Accountability Project. He believes that DeSantis needs to show a climb in popularity this summer.
Brendan Buck, a Republican strategist, explained DeSantis’ approach as an attempt to chip away at Trump’s support within the conservative base. However, Buck believes DeSantis is running out of time for this strategy to work.
Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist at Penta, a consultancy in Washington, finds it puzzling that the DeSantis campaign is focusing on anti-“wokeism” instead of questioning Trump’s electability and competence. Madden also believes that DeSantis is failing to present a more positive image to voters looking for an alternative to Trump.
Madden stated, “You’re at the stage where your voters are curious about your candidacy and what’s driving you to put yourself forward as leader of the free world — your biography, record, vision, and the reinforcement of that. That opportunity is missed.”
Although the DeSantis campaign announced that it raised $20 million in the first few weeks, compared to Trump’s $35 million for the entire quarter, many Republican strategists and pollsters believe that a course correction for DeSantis may be overdue.
The 2024 Republican race remains unpredictable, especially with multiple criminal charges and investigations involving Trump. However, DeSantis’ current strategy may not be effective, as time is running out for him to gain momentum.
Adam Geller concluded, “It’s getting late early, and I don’t know how much longer they have to move the needle here.”
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
