A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis says that no matter how hard he tried as a candidate, his voters had “checked out” of the 2024 election long before the Iowa caucuses.
During an interview with radio host Steve Deace, the Governor told a former supporter in the 2024 race about his realization that as hard as he tried to move voters in the Hawkeye State, it was clear he wasn’t going to be able to break through. He said voters had “checked out,” believing a Donald Trump renomination was a “fait accompli.”
“I kept running into voters who, when I’m at the caucus sites, for example, speaking, or when my speakers are speaking at the sites on my behalf, running into a lot of voters who are like, ‘The Governor is awesome, he’d be a great President. But we feel like we just have to stick with Trump this time and he can do the future,'” DeSantis told Deace.
DeSantis spotlighted a “lack of enthusiasm overall to participate in the caucus” from his targeted supporters.
“We started noticing this in the Fall, where voters who had caucused in 2016, previous caucus-goers, when they were being polled, they said they’re definitely not caucusing. And it was kind of odd that they would say that because normally they would probably, if you’ve already caucused, you like, well, maybe we’ll see.”
These voters “did not want to see Trump nominated again, but they had basically been told that it was inevitable, that it was over,” DeSantis said.
“Why even bother? And they just totally dropped out of the process. So to have 110,000 people show up when 2016, you had 186,000 show up, when Iowa has more Republicans this year than they did in 2016. That shows you there’s a lot of our voters who have checked out.”
DeSantis also suggested the inevitability of Trump would have only been reinforced after Tuesday’s New Hampshire Primary.
“What does it look like after New Hampshire when he has a big victory? You’re going to all of a sudden go into South Carolina, even if it’s a two-man race between us two and just shift the narrative? How are you going to do that? Are there going to be debates? No,” DeSantis said.
“Are you going to see the media be eager to say that this is a horse race? No, they’ve moved on basically,” he added. “And so that was just the reality. And then I think in each contest, those voters that had checked out. I think that number will, the percentage will grow, and those are the voters you need to be competitive.”
9 comments
PeterH
January 23, 2024 at 1:36 pm
Obviously DeSantis doesn’t understand why he lost the primary election!
To
January 23, 2024 at 3:32 pm
Self awareness is not his strong suit I’m afraid.
Dont Say FLA
January 23, 2024 at 1:39 pm
How adorably delusional. Little Rhonda actually thinks he had voters. LOL.
Ron DeSantis had, on paper, some interested folks. But then Rhonda showed up and Rhonda, utterly failing to meet expectations, never had any chance at those voters.
Even without Trump it would be the same result. It’s entirely because of Rhonda.
Everybody Hates Rhonda.
Josh Green
January 23, 2024 at 2:22 pm
DeSantis is a moron who has absolutely no read on what’s important to people.
He spent all of his political capital and messaging on this “Woke” nonsense that nobody who matters cares about. The majority of people are actually pretty woke these days, and he doesn’t get that.
People here care about being able to afford insurance and wild inflation that has happened here under his failed leadership.
Michael K
January 23, 2024 at 8:42 pm
Rhonda’s attacks on teachers, LGBTQ people, Black people, women’s rights, book banning, revisionist history, destruction of New College, flying Texas migrants to Massachusites and picking a fight with Disney did nothing to win him a single county in Iowa.
We are now left to clean up after his DeSastrous folly.
MH/Duuuval
January 23, 2024 at 8:51 pm
There’s an ugly rumor being circulated by Democrats that Dee may turn to a run for the Senate. Maybe he could do better against a fellow sailor since he outranks him.
Dont Say FLA
January 25, 2024 at 1:27 pm
I saw him auditioning for a host job on MSNBC. He was awful, but if they pair him with Casey, she can host while they tell him he’s the host.
Andrew Finn
January 24, 2024 at 2:39 pm
Yes Ronnie Boy’s voters checked out way before he did — all 12 of them !!!! — “Never Back Down” — YEAH RIGHT !!!! — Donald Trump will be the “CANDIDATE SELECT” while Little Ronnie is the “CANDIDATE REJECT” for this 2024 race — Back to destroying Florida for a few more years, and the onto the “Trash Heap Of Forgotten Political Losers” and a fade into history. — Adios Meatball — Ya gotta love it !!!!
Father David Patterson
January 25, 2024 at 2:55 pm
Diabolus animam suam ad infernum tollat.
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