Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is falling behind in the Republican primary because his entire political career is an exercise in "bad faith," former Rep. David Jolly (R-FL) said on MSNBC Tuesday.
This comes as the governor, once touted by D.C. strategists and key GOP megadonors as the party's solution to move beyond former President Donald Trump, is mired 30 points behind the former president and not even cracking double digits in New Hampshire, and as he replaces his campaign manager in yet another effort to "reboot" his candidacy.
"Let's take this in two parts," said anchor Alicia Menendez. "Let's talk about the campaign reboot and then let's talk about the fact that he's not actually learning a lesson understanding, David, these two things very much happened in tandem. You can switch up your leadership, but if you're not willing to fundamentally change as a candidate, I'm not sure that's going to be the magic that you're looking for."
"That's right, Alicia," said Jolly, a frequent critic of the current state of the GOP. "Ron DeSantis' problem is not his staff, it's the candidate, it's himself. I know that because I know several of the people in Florida politics who are working for him, and they're exceedingly talented staffers and campaign strategists, they're just working with a terrible candidate and that is why you're hitting the ceiling. This conversation about how woke has its ceiling and its limitations, even in the Republican Party."
Jolly went on to say that one of the reasons DeSantis is flopping with the base, "despite all the substantive debate around his war on woke, is it just exudes bad faith."
"The war on migrants, by doing the Martha's Vineyard stunt, reaching into Texas and shipping them, just shows bad faith," Jolly continued. "It's not a constructive way to address immigration. The war on trans youth and trying to intervene with the medical counsel you'd get, is just, it's bad faith. The war on voting rights is bad faith, because there is not a policy agenda pursuing equity. I think that is why this ethos of Ron DeSantis is hitting such a challenge. He is seen as somebody that continues to act in bad faith in these culture wars, and on critical issues of race and equity, Ron DeSantis appears determined to just run for the White House to represent White America. That, now, six months into this, is basically his brand; it's not working."
Watch the video below or at the link.