With a new poll on Monday showing Donald Trump building upon his lead as the top choice of conservative voters to be the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nominee, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' window to stop his slide into irrelevancy hinges on the first GOP debate where he needs to make a splash.
According to a report from NBC, with Donald Trump reportedly expected to be a no-show, the focus will be on the Florida governor who has been his closest pursuer despite fading fast with voters.
DeSantis donor Dan Eberhart was blunt in his assessment of what his favorite candidate needs to do.
“The debate is of vital importance for Gov. DeSantis. He urgently needs to change the story arc and regain momentum,” he warned.
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With the report noting the DeSantis campaign has gone through a recent "bloodletting" as staffers were laid off and money has become tighter, one GOP strategist made the point that his candidacy could come to end quickly.
Gregg Keller, who has worked on GOP campaigns dating back to 2004, explained, "If he bombs, it’s full-blown tail spin at that point," before elaborating, "You do this long enough and you don’t believe any early narrative. Yet I personally have become convinced that DeSantis has some very, very substantial problems.”
Ken Cuccinelli, the founder of the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down PAC agreed, stating, “Obviously, debates are milestones in a campaign. Oftentimes, they are make or break in both directions for various campaigns."
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