# DeSantis can't win the GOP nomination or the general election in 2024 {How Trump plays into this is allowed} **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 23, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249 "2023-02-23T18:07:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/461 "2023-04-14T17:32:07Z")
The thread is about DeSantis. An interesting question is that _if_ Trump goes down before the R nomination as many here suggest he will, AND _if_ DeSantis is as unexciting an orator / campaigner as folks are saying, AND so DeSantis too does not win the R nomination, … Then who does win the R nomination? What’s left in that rogues’ gallery of R wannabes? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/462 "2023-04-14T17:47:29Z")
~~Back to DeSantis and enough with Trump.~~ ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/463 "2023-04-14T17:57:12Z")
Sorry, What\_Exit. Just following the conversation and forgot the original topic. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/464 "2023-04-14T18:06:18Z")
Understandable, that’s why not even a modnote. Just trying to get back on track. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/465 "2023-04-14T18:46:09Z")
DeSantis is certainly attempting to pitch himself as a viable alternative to Trump. > **[DeSantis Attempts to Woo Young Evangelicals](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/14/us/desantis-evangelicals-2024-election.html)** > > The Florida governor pitched himself as a defender of traditional values to students at Liberty University, an important stage for Republican presidential hopefuls. > “Yes, the truth will set you free,” Mr. DeSantis said. “Because woke represents a war on truth, we must wage a war on woke.” ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/466 "2023-04-14T19:20:59Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > DeSantis is certainly attempting to pitch himself as a viable alternative to Trump. His first national ad buy is going to start running on Monday. > **[DeSantis super PAC 'Never Back Down' makes first ad buy for 2024](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/desantis-super-pac-never-back-down-first-ad-buy-2024.amp)** > > The super PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for 2024 rolled out its first national ad Thursday, and it will start airing Monday to support his possible White House bid. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/467 "2023-04-14T20:18:30Z")
Actually, for the evangelical = cultural reactionary / Xian-themed hater vote, DeSantis is by far a more sensible R primary candidate for the believers to back than is anyone else. That’s really a constituency he ought to be able to succeed with. Will he? We’ll soon find out. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/468 "2023-04-14T20:39:32Z")
Hutchinson has the sane lane to himself. DeSantis’ prospects are going to hinge on how crowded the MAGA lane gets. One on one vs. Donald, maybe he wins the nomination. Add maybe Pompeo and Pence and Scott- who knows? Donnie’s hard core base won’t desert him and if the remainder of the hard right is split several ways, I don’t see where DeSantis wins it. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/469 "2023-04-14T22:06:50Z")
> **[Rape, Incest Victims Must Show Proof to Get Exception to Florida's New...](https://people.com/health/rape-incest-victims-must-show-proof-to-get-exception-to-floridas-new-abortion-ban/)** > > Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Heartbeat Protection Act into law, which bans abortions after six weeks and increases restrictions to the standing exceptions There is something seriously wrong with DeSantis and Republicans. I really hope they get absolutely obliterated in 2024. They certainly deserve it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/470 "2023-04-14T22:23:51Z")
With what they’re up to in the abortion word I’d expect their opponents to get 100% of the female vote and about 75-80% of the male vote. Oughta be a slam dunk. Hint: it won’t be. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/471 "2023-04-14T22:34:52Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > An interesting question is that _if_ Trump goes down before the R nomination as many here suggest he will, AND _if_ DeSantis is as unexciting an orator / campaigner as folks are saying, AND so DeSantis too does not win the R nomination, … a. Voters just about always think that the candidate they leaned to before the debate is the one who won. Here’s a correlary of that: Orator excitingness is some combination of electorally unimportant and impossible for someone outside the candidate’s lane to judge. Or, in other words, DeSantis is likable enough. b. While we know that GOP primary seasons can be unpredictable, we don’t have a metric for predicting which way they will go. So the rational approach is to go by the best evidence we now have – polls. And polls consistently show that Trump is the GOP nomination front-runner, with DeSantis best positioned to win the nomination should DJT falter. c, Something inside me can’t quite accept “b” above, as I keep on remembering the times Ben Carson and Herman Cain zoomed, from nowhere, to the top of GOP nomination polls, only failing because they turned out to be poor unvetted candidates. Nikki Haley and Tim Scott, from a GOP viewpoint, have little downside and a big own-the-libs upside. If I was DeSantis, I would be much more worried about them than their current dismal polling indicates. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/472 "2023-04-15T00:48:51Z")
Unless something has changed procedurally between 2020 and now, the R primary system is heavily loaded towards establishing _the_ frontrunner real early and essentially forcing all the subsequent states to endorse the most favored candidate or be irrelevant. That places a tremendous premium on coming out of the gate strong. Super Tuesday is going to be early on Mar 5, and the R primary season is effectively over that night if anyone has a big lead leaving that. Much less entering that. Federally irrelevant and vibrantly unrepresentative Iowa & New Hampshire of course go first in our insane system. Then comes fairly calm NV, then Reactionary wacko hard Right SC. Then Super Tuesday from coast to coast. If anyone is to alter the course of the R river, they need to be mostly done with their voter gathering long before Jan 22, 2024 when the IA caucuses meet in their barns. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/473 "2023-04-15T11:43:43Z")
Not to mention that charismatic brick known as Mike Pompeo. Though I’m sure both Trump and DeSantis are glad he’s opted not to run. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/474 "2023-04-15T19:43:52Z")
Steamboat Ronnie may have shot himself in the foot, money-wise: [GOP donor pulls plug on funding DeSantis over book-banning crusade](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-donor-pulls-plug-on-funding-desantis-over-book-banning-crusade-report/ar-AA19Umit?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=aa7c71cc6e22496d9b0861ace24305fa&ei=15) > Thomas Peterffy, the founder Interactive Brokers Group Inc., previously [said]while he would vote for former President Donald Trump if he’s the GOP nominee in 2024, he would do what he can to make sure the party nominates a different candidate. … > > Now, Peterffy said he and other donors are holding back from supporting DeSantis, who hasn’t formally announced his campaign. Peterffy added that they will be withholding all funding for candidates until it’s more clear which one could win the general election, Financial Times reported. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/475 "2023-04-15T20:33:49Z")
Couldn’t happen to a nicer dickhead! ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/476 "2023-04-15T20:34:17Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Not to mention that charismatic brick known as Mike Pompeo. Though I’m sure both Trump and DeSantis are glad he’s opted not to run. Pompy has said he’s out? I hadn’t heard that yet. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/477 "2023-04-15T21:30:06Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > Pompy has said he’s out? I hadn’t heard that yet Just yesterday… > **[Mike Pompeo says he's not running for president in 2024](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mike-pompeo-running-president-2024/story?id=98597714)** > > Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday he is not running for president in 2024. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/478 "2023-04-15T21:56:02Z")
Aha! Thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/479 "2023-04-15T23:05:21Z")
> **[Florida to allow death penalty with 8-4 jury vote instead of unanimously](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/florida-allow-death-penalty-with-8-4-jury-vote-instead-unanimously-2023-04-14/)** > > Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to sign a bill on Friday allowing juries to recommend the death penalty in capital cases on an 8-4 vote, a move spurred by the less-than-unanimous vote that led to the Parkland school shooter being sentenced... I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. There is something seriously wrong with DeSantis and the Republican party. How can anybody think that this is ok? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249/480 "2023-04-15T23:32:13Z")
Because they’re thinking that the people it would hurt aren’t like them. They’re the “other”. The ray of sunshine is that the stances you must take to win the hearts of the heartless, and therefore the nomination, are going to doom you in the general election. You can’t win the nomination without kneeling before the altar of the almighty gun, you can’t win without calling for a national abortion ban, and you can’t win without hating LGTBQs. All of this make moderates and independents not want to vote for you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desantis-cant-win-the-gop-nomination-or-the-general-election-in-2024-how-trump-plays-into-this-is-allowed/980249.md?page=25)