Ron DeSantis risks implosion at debate on his own 'home turf': analysis

Republicans will flock to Florida Wednesday for a presidential debate in Gov. Ron DeSantis's home state, but according to the Miami Herald editorial board, the coulda-been contender shouldn't count on a home-field advantage.

Indeed, the board wrote Tuesday, this could be the coup de grace against the DeSantis campaign, facing fierce competition from former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

"It’s Nikki Haley who’s got momentum — at least a bit — largely because of two previous debate performances that included a clear display of her foreign policy knowledge and some memorable zingers," wrote the board.

Among the Miami Herald board's favorite was a verbal slap-back to Vivek Ramaswamy: "Honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say."

The editorial board argues DeSantis hasn't been disastrous, just disappointing.

"DeSantis’ performances weren’t disastrous — and he was stronger in the second one — but they weren’t enough toelevate him in voters’ eyes."

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The big problem for DeSantis, the board wrote, is that he has relied on friendly, scripted events to build up his brand — and his inability to create those for himself on the campaign trail has knocked him down over and over again, especially during debates.

"The governor is in his element talking to friendly audiences and shutting reporters down at news conferences, but he doesn’t shine on the debate stage," wrote the board. "Even when he uttered one of his most-used campaign taglines — 'Our country is in decline' — he sounded contrived and scripted. To his credit, he avoided big mistakes and stayed above the fray. At the second debate, in California, he said Trump was 'missing in action' and landed sharper attacks against the former president."

Nonetheless, Trump continues to lap DeSantis, and every other candidate. The latest polling aggregates show Trump closing on 60 percent of the GOP vote, with everyone else combined fighting over the remainder.