"Dude, what are you waiting for?": DeSantis supporters begin signaling 2024 doubts
The Florida governor is experiencing a phenomena he cannot control: Even if you're not officially a candidate, you damn well will be treated like one.
In recent weeks, pundits, detractors and 2024 rivals have all slung arrows at Ron DeSantis, questioning his slow-motion presidential campaign movement and raising doubts about whether he has the steel to withstand Donald Trump’s early onslaught.
Now some of the Florida governor’s own supporters are joining the menacing chorus of doubters, I and my McClatchyDC colleague, Alex Roarty, have found in an extensive report published Thursday.
You can read the entire 2,000-word dive HERE.
In interviews with more than 20 Republican strategists, DeSantis allies and current and former elected officials, many expressed a growing anxiety about DeSantis’ approach, fretting that a politician who started the year with so much momentum is starting to falter before he even formally becomes a presidential candidate.
Their overarching concern: The Florida Republican has already waited too long to launch, leaving him ill-prepared to defend against the former president’s bludgeoning attacks and lagging behind in the type of on-the-ground organizing critical in states with an early nominating contest.
Needless spring handwringing from the commentariat? Or … serious early warning lights?
Whether or not the worries are overblown, the perceptual shift around a DeSantis 2024 bid is tangible and dancing dangerously close to the rubicon.
The immensely hyped governor has fallen into a lot of political quicksand, where every move is cataloged, dissected and second-guessed, fueling a pernicious news cycle that lacks an easy exit.