By: Meredith Richardson
In the not-so-distant past, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was hailed as a rising star in Republican politics, even entering the national stage as a contender in the 2024 presidential election. Yet, in a matter of mere weeks, his prospects plummeted – culminating in him dropping out of the race late last month. How did DeSantis fall so spectacularly in such little time? The slippery slope that sent him sprawling was his increased efforts to do what Donald Trump does best, better.
The 2022 midterms served as a turning point, both in the eyes of the Republican Party and, consequently, for DeSantis himself. The widely-anticipated “red wave”of Republican victories in state elections simply failed to materialize. Although Republicans still won the House of Representatives, a large percentage of Trump-backed candidates lost their races. In the aftermath of this underperformance, the Republican Party appeared to shift away from the former president at long last.
Governor Ron DeSantis, on the other hand, succeeded in securing reelection at this time. With this victory, DeSantis emerged as leading early polls, notably ahead of one name in particular: Trump. In February, polling by the conservative nonprofit Club for Growth indicated that DeSantis had a 9-point lead over the former president.
DeSantis’s appeal was undeniable, with conservatives desperately hoping for an alternative to Trump flocking to his voter base. He was a fresh face, younger than Trump who, more importantly, lacked his scarred history. This was his edge – until it wasn’t.
Following this initial momentum, DeSantis lost his advantage completely by waging an empty culture war and taking hardline stances on particularly divisive issues where he hadn’t previously. In April of 2023, he signed a 6-week abortion ban in Florida, extending the limit to 15 weeks in cases of incest and rape – if the woman can provide proof. This policy mirrors Trump’s call for a 16-week national abortion ban, as well as his general misogynist rhetoric and targeting of women’s rights. DeSantis became a further proponent of gun rights; in April 2023, he signed a bill that allowed Floridians to carry concealed firearms without a permit. Trump has long been a champion of gun owners, emphasizing his support of the Second Amendment; receiving endorsements from the NRA, as well as making frequent appearances at associated events; and attempting to roll back Obama-era gun regulations, including one that sought to prevent individuals with mental health conditions from accessing guns. While Ron DeSantis took similar pro-gun steps in the past, the authorization of concealed firearms was markedly polarizing even in Florida.
Among DeSantis’s most infamous strides, reflecting a shift in his political character, was his dispute with Disney. The feud was a component of the governor’s “anti-woke” crusade, and thus an indicator of DeSantis’s movements towards so-called hot button politics – a signature of Donald Trump’s, utilizing social issues to further political advancement.
By attempting to emulate a man he once sought to dethrone, Ron DeSantis eliminated his main advantage as a more traditional conservative candidate. Trump’s base was entirely loyal to him, and by attempting to appeal to them, DeSantis only alienated moderate and centrist voters. The end came soon after, with him suffering a decisive loss in the Iowa primary this past month. He announced his withdrawal from the campaign trail on January 21, conceding to and endorsing his rival and ruin, Trump.
Why did DeSantis stray from his promising start? Perhaps with Trump’s highly publicized legal woes, depicting him as a martyr for the Republican cause, DeSantis felt pressured to court them in the same vein, walking the line between the party under Trump and the party of old – an inherently contradictory undertaking.
The media and American public alike once viewed Ron DeSantis as a potential challenger to Donald Trump. Ron DeSantis instead shot himself in the foot with a Trump-branded bullet. By rendering himself a less-charismatic version of the former President rather than a viable alternative, DeSantis ruined his campaign.
Ron DeSantis Is Getting Back To His Old Tricks | Vanity Fair
