Ron DeSantis dismissed Republican rivals Nikki Haley and Mike Pence on Monday as candidates who won’t be able to win the persuadable pool of GOP presidential primary voters necessary to defeat Donald Trump, according to audio obtained by McClatchyDC and published, in part, above on #TooCloseToCall.
Speaking to about 30 members of the Virgin Islands GOP committee virtually, DeSantis said his campaign estimates that 20% of the 2024 Republican electorate will definitely vote for the former president, with 35% having ruled Trump out completely. That leaves about 45% of Republican voters who are still considering their options.
“They’re not going to vote for people like Pence and Haley. I respect them, they’re just not,” DeSantis told the Virgin Islands group, referring to voters in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire. “They will vote for me, because I have a record of being a very strong leader.”
Listen: DeSantis disses Haley, Pence in outlining path to overtaking Trump