Give Gov. Ron DeSantis credit for one thing. The social media platform formerly known as Twitter worked flawlessly Sunday afternoon, carrying his video announcement that the presidential campaign backed by the Never Back Down super PAC was, well, backing down.
It tiptoes up to irony that a campaign that began with a splat when that same media platform sputtered, spit, and wobbled when carrying the launch of DeSantis’ doomed campaign worked just fine when carrying the Governor’s concession that (paraphrasing here) he was toast.
But seriously, folks, has any presidential candidate squandered so much, so quickly, and not just money, either? DeSantis’ reputation was the Next Great Hope for Republicans lay in tatters of single-digit polling in New Hampshire.
Even worse, DeSantis puckered up and immediately endorsed Donald Trump.
I always wondered what would happen when DeSantis got out of a safe Florida cocoon and ventured into places where even some Republicans look askance at banning books and brawling with Disney.
We saw it. It was a complete repudiation of Florida’s wooden, charisma-challenged Governor.
On the campaign trail, DeSantis never defined what he would do to make life better for the (fewer and fewer) people who came to his rallies. He was ultimately defined by the culture wars he unleashed on Floridians, and that’s no way to win.
The result was ridicule for someone once nicknamed “America’s Governor.”
POLITICO magazine ran an opinion piece under the headline: “The DeSantis Team Ran the Worst Campaign in History.”
And there’s this: He tried to out-Trump Trump. That was a fool’s errand. Trump is a menace, and a second term for Orange Hair would be an epic disaster. He might even be in jail. DeSantis tried to run to the right of THAT, but Trump supporters weren’t impressed, and the GOP “moderates” sized up DeSantis’ faux tough guy persona and decided “nah.”
What’s next for the Governor?
He may find a few things changed as he heads back to Florida for the final two years of his term. Republican lawmakers spent the last six years barking on command from DeSantis, but they have much less reason to fear him today than they did a year ago.
Many of them have ambition, too. They’re sizing up their own chances at the Governor’s mansion in 2026, and voters are showing they’re weary of DeSantis’ focus on controlling women’s bodies, banning books, LGBTQ+ people, trans kids, Disney’s corporate policies, and so on.
Going forward, I would expect the Republican message to moderate a bit because I believe that’s where the voters are.
DeSantis could find it hard to put the cork back in the bottle if he wants to take another swing in 2028. He could see it impossible to recreate the war chest he had for this campaign.
I go back to the beginning with DeSantis. Remember his first year in office? Even Democrats credited him for working across the aisle on the environment and other issues. He received widespread praise for stances that benefited everyday Floridians, regardless of party or sexual orientation.
Then someone whispered, “Ron, you ought to think about running for President.”
And with that, the starting gun had sounded on Ron DeSantis’ road to destruction. He hit the finish line Sunday.
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