In a report on Gov. Ron DeSantis’s recent ventures outside of Florida, he has been described as struggling to connect with voters and appear enthusiastic.
Via: The Washington Post:
People who have met with DeSantis in recent weeks say he remains stilted in one-on-one conversations and sometimes struggles to make small talk or appear enthusiastic while engaging in retail politics critical to winning states such as New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina. Trump’s team has recently ramped up his retail stops including at restaurants when he visits states, saying it shows a sharp contrast from DeSantis.
“DeSantis has really worked the culture wars, really worked Fox News, and he is the known quantity right now to people who are being polled,” Republican consultant Susan Del Percio said. But she criticized his debate performance last fall and questioned if he has the temperament to handle pushback.
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Republicans think that a candidate who struggles to connect with voters or sounds enthusiastic will beat Trump in a presidential primary where the electorate will be made up of the most dedicated and passionate in the party. They think DeSantis has what it takes to defeat a man whose supporters are frantically devoted and have been described as cult-like.
The description of Ron DeSantis makes him sound like an ambitious robot, and that sort of candidate is a recipe for disaster in a match-up with Trump in the primary. A contest against President Biden, who has a natural gift for an emotional connection, could get ugly.
Ron DeSantis knows how to toss red meat to the base and do the Fox News thing, but he sounds like a stiff loser on the campaign trail, and it is hard to see how a less charismatic Marco Rubio will prevail and not be made to look like a loser by Trump.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
