DOVER, N.H. — It's been clear for months that it would be an uphill climb for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to traverse key policies in the mountainous Granite State.
Anti-Trump voters rally around former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Trump supporters, even as DeSantis, 45, drew sizable crowds in the final minutes of his announced campaign Sunday afternoon. In the meantime, Mr. DeSantis has been slowing down. Voters supported the man himself.
“DeSantis has given up on New Hampshire and put his eggs in one basket, Iowa,” Kim Rice, a Haley supporter and former New Hampshire House pro tempore speaker, wrote in a post before DeSantis resigned. told the paper.
“And I think his message clearly didn't resonate with the people of New Hampshire.”
DeSantis is off to a hot start. Last April, he won a landslide re-election victory in the once-purple Sunshine State and rode through the Granite State as a star. His appearance at the Amos Tuck Dinner, the state's largest annual Republican fundraiser, drew record donations and a sold-out crowd.
Trump, 77, remains in the lead in polls, but DeSantis is not far behind. When you catch a glimpse of RealClearPolitics aggregate Data from the time showed Trump had a 14-point lead in Florida and is now closer than Haley as voters prepare to head to the polls in the nation's first primary.
Unfortunately, that was the high water mark for DeSantis. The first of the former president's four indictments, which began this spring, created a rally-around-the-flag effect as enraged Republicans flocked to support what they saw as the party's reckless leader. Ta.
By the time Mr. DeSantis began his campaign last May, Mr. Trump's lead in New Hampshire's RCP average had widened to 18 points. DeSantis will never come this close again.
Trump, Trump, Trump
In both sports and politics, when a highly touted team fails to achieve its goals, we tend to focus on the team's flaws and mistakes.
However, in some cases, the opposing team may be too strong.
Trump's already formidable candidacy is being boosted by the fact that many Republican voters consider him president, regardless of who currently occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
In both Iowa and New Hampshire, many Trump supporters interviewed by the Post said they were not considering any alternatives to the 45th president.
“At first,” Dennis Malbeuf, 58, told the Post at Trump campaign headquarters in Manchester when asked if he had considered other options.
“DeSantis, the way he ran the state was amazing,” Malbeuf added, ultimately concluding that Trump has a better track record at senior levels of government.
“Things will get done” under the Trump administration, he said.
Anti-Trumper backlash
DeSantis' message to Republican voters was simple. The idea was that he would support Trump's policies without drama or disruption, while also bringing far more power to the White House.
This pitch may have been the only way to increase DeSantis' support, but it backfired in two ways. It failed to alienate enough Trump supporters and alienated a smaller number of potential anti-Trump voters.
“I don't trust DeSantis because he's one of Trump's cronies,” said Leon Mercier, 70, of Swansea, an independent voter and supporter of Haley. “He got too close to him. We don't want another January 6th.”
Despite Haley herself serving as Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, Mercier felt she had distanced herself from Trump since she left the role in 2018.
Lizabeth McLaughlin, a Marlboro resident who once supported former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, said she rejected President Trump and chose Haley over DeSantis because she wanted more moderates in Washington. .
“I think DeSantis probably did a good job in dealing with the emergency in Florida,” she said. “But other than that, I don't think he did a good job.”
When asked, McLaughlin added, “That's just a feeling,” before referring to the culture war issues that have defined DeSantis' tenure as governor.
gut check
New Hampshire is a land of charm and laughter, and the ultimate testing ground for a candidate's retail political skills.
No matter how Granite State residents felt about DeSantis, some thought the Florida governor's tone was far from perfect.
Glenn Hauser, 52, an independent voter from Bedford who leans Republican, recalled conversations with restaurant workers who have watched dozens of candidates pass through multiple primaries.
“They said [DeSantis] “This was the worst candidate they've ever seen in the time they've worked there,” he said, declining to name the restaurant.
“[He] “If you don't have great interpersonal skills and don't connect with voters, you don't have a chance, especially in New Hampshire, where the state is primary-heavy,” Hauser added, referring to DeSantis. Ta. “awkward.”
Houser, who plans to vote for Haley on Tuesday, described both DeSantis and Trump as “vindictive people who tend to care more about what's good for themselves than what's good for others.”
Suzanne Corwin, 72, a parish nurse in Nashua, was undecided between Haley and DeSantis, but as of Saturday, the day before DeSantis stepped down, she was leaning toward the former U.N. ambassador.
“It’s funny, because I like some of the things he says,” Corwin said. “But, as bad as this is, his voice bothers me. So I don't think so — he doesn't come across as energetic as she does.”
slow decider
Many voters who made their decisions in the final stages focused on the feasibility of the election.
Rindge dentist Miguel Velez, 30, attended Haley's event Saturday. He was looking for someone to replace Trump and didn't think much of DeSantis.
“I don't know much about DeSantis,” he said, holding the baby in his arms. “When it comes to Trump, I feel like: [Haley] How she described the mess he had caused was spot on. ”
To 2028
As DeSantis contemplates the death of his campaign, he has undergone a notable shift from his previous anti-establishment persona.
He began giving more interviews to national news outlets he had previously ignored, and on Friday said he should have covered so-called “corporate shows” earlier in the race.
At his final campaign stop Friday at Carla Irish Pub and Restaurant in Dover, New Hampshire, Mr. DeSantis appeared much more relaxed than when he began his campaign.
“God bless the people of New Hampshire,” her young daughter, Madison, told the audience, to loud cheers from the packed venue.
In his speech, Mr. DeSantis reflected on how his children, who grew up in mild Florida, adapted to the snowy conditions of Iowa and New Hampshire.
He then pivoted to a policy-focused message, answering questions from voters while accusing Trump and Haley of becoming more insular from the public.
Mr. DeSantis' campaign ended as it began with X. But this won't be the last America hears of him.
The Florida governor's term ends after the 2026 election, and he cannot be re-elected due to term limits. That would give him a head start in the race for 2028.
Maybe New Hampshire voters will care less about his voice next time.
