Nominating Trump again would take multiple key states 'off the table' for GOP: internal polling

Republican donors are still talking themselves into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a viable alternative to Donald Trump, whom their internal polling indicates is still deeply unpopular in key states.

The Florida Republican still hasn't formally entered the 2024 race, but his early stumbles and perceived problems with his prickly personality have helped the ex-president build a healthy lead, although the governor's team remains convinced by their internal polling that donors will rally around him once he jumps in, reported Politico.

“Everyone knows the majority of the Republican Party wants to move on,” said campaign manager Generra Peck.

They're also encouraged by Trump's eagerness to smother his nascent campaign as a sign of DeSantis' strength.

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“He knows that his greatest threat is Ron DeSantis and that he was coming and coming strongly at some point,” said DeSantis spokesman David Abrams.

DeSantis has been hosting a series of dinners for GOP donors at the governor's mansion, and some of them told Politico they came away believing he was the only Republican who could beat Trump in a primary.

“I know this from all my conversations around the country in the last six months: The major donor network has walked [from Trump], they’re looking for new leadership, and 85 percent of them are waiting for DeSantis,” said Texas-based bundler Roy Bailey.

They're even more confident that DeSantis could win a general election in swing states where the twice-impeached and currently indicted former president would be more vulnerable.

“Not only will Republicans have significant problems in traditional battleground states if Trump is the GOP nominee," said Robert Blizzard, a pollster with Public Opinion Strategies, "but any of these ‘reach’ states would already be off the table.”