Manchester, New Hampshire – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign was at its peak before it even began.
A year ago, Mr. DeSantis was still basking in the glow of his convincing re-election victory in the Florida gubernatorial race and was the clear choice to replace former President Trump in the burgeoning Republican White House race.
The former president was still facing a lot of criticism from Republicans for contributing to the party's underperformance in the 2022 midterm elections.
Additionally, Trump's 2024 presidential campaign launch at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, weeks after the midterm elections, was criticized by many experts.
Haley reveals proposal for DeSantis supporters
Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stops at a campaign stop in Hampton, New Hampshire on January 17th. He called off the campaign four days later. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Mr. DeSantis was tied with Mr. Trump in numerous national and early state polls, but as winter turned to spring, the Florida governor faced repeated verbal abuse from the former president and his supporters. .
Mr. DeSantis was already bruised by the time he officially launched his campaign, with social media announcements hit by technical problems and the first of many ominous omens for the popular governor. Ta.
Ron DeSantis supports Donald Trump withdrawing from 2024 Republican presidential election
The governor faced an onslaught of negative advertising from the Trump world in late spring and into the summer.
“Trump's barrage of attacks was the beginning of the end for DeSantis,” argued Michael Dennehy, a veteran New Hampshire-based Republican strategist who has worked on multiple presidential campaigns.
Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was the target of many insults from former President Trump early in the campaign. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Mr. DeSantis made headlines over the summer for a series of purges and resets of his campaign staff. There was another staff shakeup in the fall, this time at the DeSantis-affiliated super PAC Never Back Down, which took over many of the traditional duties of a presidential campaign, including grassroots efforts.
Alex Castellanos, a longtime Republican consultant and veteran of six presidential campaigns, said DeSantis “ran a mechanical campaign that failed on two mechanical fronts.” .
“If he doesn't go door-to-door and build his brand, he's wasted hundreds of millions of dollars knocking on doors. And two, he's a mechanical candidate who won't come to your door. “I don't want you to be like that. To run for public office, you have to be a human being,” he argued.
Dennehy agreed, accusing DeSantis of “just not having the charisma to connect with voters in Iowa or New Hampshire.”
Check out the latest voting numbers for the New Hampshire presidential primary
Jim Merrill, a fellow New Hampshire-based Republican strategist and presidential campaign veteran, said DeSantis' withdrawal means “voters need to first like and connect with a candidate before they can support them.” It also reminds us of the simple rule that there is.”
Merrill added, “Mr. DeSantis is a good governor, but he has repeatedly failed to put himself in a position to succeed in national campaigns.”
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally Sunday at the Rochester Opera House in Rochester, New Hampshire. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“The biggest pain for him is that Republican voters don't want an alternative to Donald Trump. Donald Trump is their incumbent president,” Castellanos said.
Dan Eberhart, a top DeSantis donor, bundler and agent, told Fox News Digital that “Ron DeSantis ran into a hump and that hump was named Trump.” Told.
“This wasn't about money. The campaign claims it had enough money to participate in Super Tuesday. This is based on data and polling and Governor DeSantis being realistic about whether Trump can win.” I think that's true,” Everhart said.
He added: “More importantly, I think this was in 2028, Mr. DeSantis doesn't want New Hampshire to go from 5% to 8%, to be honest. He is the de facto second choice for Republican voters, and he is the second choice for President Trump voters, so he decided to come out and govern Florida.”
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New New Hampshire polls show Trump holding a double-digit lead over Haley with just hours left before the primary.
Merrill said DeSantis' withdrawal from the race “reduces Haley's margin for error here. Many, if not most, of DeSantis' voters will go to Trump.” “That's why it's important that Haley does well in New Hampshire to reap some benefits.” The momentum is heading towards South Carolina. ”
But he added: “Last week's consolidation on the ground clearly shows that pressure is building to end the primary process.”
Dennehy was more direct.
“I think this puts the nail in her coffin,” he said of Hailey. “I don't think she'll be able to stay below 50%, and I think it's very likely Trump will reach 60% on Tuesday. That would spell the end for Haley's campaign and effectively seal the deal with Trump. There will be an agreement.'' Nominated. “
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital's Election Hub.
