DeSantis' dream of a two-horse race on hold as others shine at
Republican debate
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[August 25, 2023]
By Gram Slattery
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Florida Governor Ron DeSantis emerged from the
first Republican presidential debate having retained his position as
Donald Trump's top rival, but the absence of a game-changing moment for
him means other contenders now see more of a chance to dislodge him from
his vulnerable No. 2 spot.
The governor's team had gone into the debate in Milwaukee hoping to draw
a line under a summer slide in the polls and begin consolidating his
position as the obvious alternative to former President Donald Trump,
who holds a nearly 40-point lead in most polls.
But while his gaffe-free performance Wednesday evening satisfied allies
who argued he articulated a clear rationale for his candidacy, it was
former tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki
Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence who received much of the
airtime and attention.
According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted before the debate,
8% of Republicans supported Pence, 7% backed Ramaswamy and 5% supported
Haley. DeSantis stood at 13%, though he will need to steal support from
lower-polling rivals if he is to catch Trump, who stood at some 47%.
Haley emerged from the debate as the candidate most likely to receive a
second look, according to interviews with 10 political strategists,
donors and bundlers. Ramaswamy likely won over some voters with his
aggressive and freewheeling style, they said, though some donors were
put off by the tech entrepreneur's frequent attacks on opponents.
"I don't think a lot changed in terms of (DeSantis') strength," said
Brett Doster, a Tallahassee-based political consultant, who is friendly
with DeSantis' team.
He said Haley, who confronted Ramaswamy in one spirited exchange in
which she defended the role of the United States in Ukraine, had "scored
points" with donors.
Robert Doar, the president of the American Enterprise Institute, a major
conservative think tank, said after the debate it was still to be
determined who was the best positioned alternative to take on Trump.
"We still don't quite know who that will be," he said.
One significant donor who remains on the fence said DeSantis had said
little to win him over.
"It was a crappy debate," said the person, who requested anonymity to
preserve his political relationships.
SEVERAL CONTENDERS
Candidates like Pence, Haley and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott
receiving attention from donors and voters is bad news for DeSantis. His
campaign burned through cash at an unexpectedly fast rate in the early
summer and DeSantis will be dependent on new donors entering the fray to
keep his operation on the rails.
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Republican presidential candidate and
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the first Republican
candidates' debate of the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. August 23, 2023. REUTERS/Brian
Snyder/File Photo
He has already suffered some major defections. The largest donor to
the main outside spending group supporting him, Never Back Down,
told Reuters last month that he was cutting the governor off for the
time being due to policy differences.
In conversations in recent weeks, DeSantis' allies portrayed the
first debate as a key part of his plan to jumpstart his campaign. In
recent days, however, some close allies began to temper those
expectations, saying he had to mount a competent defense, and then
prepare to hit the campaign trail hard this fall, when many voters
tune in in earnest.
"DeSantis assertively laid out his vision for America and showed he
was ready to be president," said Dan Eberhart, a close DeSantis ally
and donor. "DeSantis looked steady and ready."
Jay Zeidman, a Houston-based donor and DeSantis bundler, said "the
governor did what he needed to do" at the debate.
"What did happen seemed like a scrum for third place. Nikki, Pence
and Christie went for Vivek," said Zeidman. "He's a lot of hat and
no cattle, as we say in Texas."
Still, campaign aides had said he was girding for constant attacks
on the debate stage, which never came to pass. One person close to
the governor, who requested anonymity to discuss internal strategy,
had predicted those attacks would help the governor reveal himself
to more voters, as he would be allotted more rebuttal time than his
opponents.
But DeSantis was hardly mentioned by his rivals, and he ended up
speaking less than Pence, Haley and Ramaswamy.
Two people involved the campaign's operations acknowledged DeSantis
would likely need to take on his low-polling foes on the campaign
trail in the near future. And there are indications that DeSantis'
allies are already pushing him to do so.
Never Back Down, which has taken over many functions of DeSantis'
campaign, posted opposition research regarding Ramaswamy on a public
website last week as well as polling in multiple states comparing
DeSantis' standing to Scott, former New Jersey Governor Chris
Christie and others.
The next debate will take place in late September in California.
"The first debate is always your opportunity to learn and improve,"
said Doster, the Republican operative from Tallahassee.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery in Washington; Additional reporting by
James Oliphant in Washington and Alexandra Ulmer in San Francisco,
editing by Ross Colvin)
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