Staff Reports
The Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, is facing more and more problems for his presidential campaign. According to a recent national poll of GOP voters by Cygnal, a GOP pollster, DeSantis has dropped to third place behind businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy now has 11 percent of support, compared to DeSantis’s 10 percent. However, both are far behind former President Donald Trump, who is sitting pretty with 53 percent support. While DeSantis was once the clear contender in the GOP race, it seems that some Republican voters are starting to lose faith in him and are looking for an alternative.
JUST IN: DeSantis Officially Falls Behind Vivek In New National Poll Of GOP Voters https://t.co/u8g7uNEIFw
— Jo Reitkopp 🇺🇸🇮🇹🇮🇱 (@JoTrumpCA) August 11, 2023
Ever since he started his campaign in February, Ramaswamy has positioned himself as the underdog candidate who is willing to work harder than his opponents. He has also made it clear that he is not afraid to take on protesters. This primary was initially thought to be a face-off between Trump and DeSantis, but recent missteps by the Florida Governor have given credibility to Ramaswamy’s claim that he could step in if Republicans have a change of heart about Trump. DeSantis’s online rollout was filled with glitches, and he recently had to fire his campaign manager and a third of his staff, which has not exactly inspired confidence in his campaign.
One of the reasons for Ramaswamy’s rise in popularity is his unapologetic defense of Donald Trump. Trump supporters appreciate his loyalty, especially in a race with so many other GOP candidates. Ramaswamy even promised to pardon Trump if he is elected, and he has filed a Freedom of Information Act request in an attempt to expose alleged political motives behind Special Counsel Jack Smith’s cases against the former president.
In contrast, DeSantis has struggled to carve out his own identity in the race without alienating Trump supporters. Earlier this week, he faced criticism for stating that Trump lost the 2020 election. This is a major test for GOP voters, who strongly believe that Trump was unfairly denied a second term. Even Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News who initially supported DeSantis as an alternative to Trump, has started to lose confidence in the governor’s chances as his support continues to decline in both national and local polls. This presents a golden opportunity for Ramaswamy to make a name for himself during the upcoming Republican National Committee’s first debate in Milwaukee later this month.
In the end, it will be interesting to see if DeSantis can regain his footing and win back the support he has lost, or if Ramaswamy can continue to gain traction and become a serious contender in the GOP race.
