Journalist assesses Ron DeSantis: 'The more people know about him, the less they like him'
Politico Playbook co-author Rachael Bade gave a stark assessment of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination during an appearance on Sunday's edition of This Week.
Addressing ABC News moderator Martha Raddatz and her "Powerhouse Roundtable" panelists, Bade spelled out why she believes that DeSantis is unable to garner more support among GOP primary voters, who favor former President Donald Trump over DeSantis by double digits.
"I have talked to so many Republicans who privately — they won't say this out loud, of course — privately, we're hoping that these indictments would gradually over time, whittle away support for Trump in the Republican base," Bade recalled.
Yet "the opposite is happening," Bade noted. "You look at $35 million, that's how much Trump has raised in the second quarter of this year. That is double what he raised before these indictments, and it really stands to show that funders are rallying behind him. Republican voters are doing the same. And again, it just opens up this question about how can any Republican take him down or whittle down that lead he has."
DeSantis' primary problem is that he struggles to connect with the party's conservative constituency, which Bade views as an insurmountable obstacle.
"I mean, the narrative right now for Ron DeSantis, who is obviously the candidate, right behind him — not right behind him, twenty points behind him, but the one who's closest — nonetheless, the narrative right now for him is that he has stalled, and the more people know about him, the less they like him, and so it, it's, look, it's looking like Donald Trump," Bade said. "I don't see how that narrative is gonna shake anytime soon."
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