By Illinois Review
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is proving to be a better governor than a presidential candidate as his campaign continues to struggle during a pivotal moment in the primary season, as President Donald Trump continues to rise in the polls – leaving his fellow Florida resident and closest opponent trailing the former president by 38 points according to the most recent CBS News poll.
To make matters worse, on Sunday evening during a Twitter Spaces event, DeSantis campaign spokesman Steve Cortes offered a shockingly honest assessment, saying,
“Look right now in national polling, we are way behind. I’ll be the first to admit that. I believe in being really blunt and really honest. It’s an uphill battle, I don’t think is an unwinnable battle, but clearly, Donald Trump is the runaway front-runner, particularly since the indictments.”
And Cortes is right, since the indictments, President Trump has only risen in the polls and cemented the support from his base – and the data proves why.
According to the CBS News poll, 76 percent of likely GOP primary voters believe that the indictments are politically motivated; and 61 percent reported that the recent charges won’t change their view of the former president.
DeSantis has faced many awkward moments early in his young campaign – the first being the launch of his campaign on Twitter this past May. Unfortunately for DeSantis and his supporters, the announcement was plagued by glitches and audio issues, making it difficult for people to hear the Florida governor’s big announcement.
DeSantis was widely mocked and the announcement created an embarrassing moment for DeSantis and his campaign team – a nightmare scenario for any political candidate.
In late May, DeSantis was mocked for what many referred to as a “terrifying laugh,” which caught social media by storm.
And on July 4th, DeSantis and his wife marched in an Independence Day parade in the pouring rain – a public relations nightmare for any campaign – as the presidential candidate and his wife were left to stand in front of a bank of cameras, soaked from the torrential downpour.
In the last three months, DeSantis has made two trips to Illinois – the first being a “law and order” speech in Elmhurst back in February – and during his second visit last month, DeSantis was the keynote speaker at an event co-hosted by the Tazewell and Peoria County Republican organizations, where he spoke about how “woke” policies are destroying our country.
But with political tensions rising between the DeSantis and Trump campaigns – some Illinois Republican Party officials are already lined up behind the popular Florida governor, including Republican national committeeman Richard Porter and former gubernatorial candidate and state central committee member Jeanne Ives.
During the 2022 primary, Porter was one of the architects of Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s campaign for governor – serving as “honorary” co-chairman of Irvin’s campaign, where he remained a close advisor and confidante to the Aurora mayor.
State central committee member Jeanne Ives is also backing DeSantis – and during an interview in Crain’s Chicago Business on May 30th, Ives said and tweeted, “I’m a DeSantis fan…I like a strong governor with a proven record of accomplishments…Florida has, what, a $21 billion budget surplus…”
The presidential primary will take place next Spring, and the 2024 Republican National Convention will be held from July 15-18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
