Is Ron DeSantis still presidential material?

[Person Man]

If he is or was presidential material, we won't know until if and when he runs. His incompetence here will be a better indicator of whether he is presidential material than whether or not he was competent if Trump or even W is any indicator.

[Person Man]

Nobody will remember his poor response here by 2024. The issue for him is that it's squandering his early popularity which means:
1) He'll have a potentially unpopular record to run on
2) I personally think he's in serious trouble in a second Trump midterm, although obviously FL Dems are his greatest asset in that regard
He could win but I don't think he's the obvious frontrunner like he was pre-corona

DeSantis could survive if Biden wins and things aren't improving by 2022. Things are about as likely to rapidly improve immediately after 2021 as just before. Mostly likely they won't until 2023 or 2024.

[Person Man]

Probably not.  There's a long history of very popular governors getting talked up for the WH and then either flaming out in scandal or just overstaying their welcome at the state level (Howard Dean, Mario Cuomo, Christie in NJ, McDonnell in VA, Pawlenty in MN, Walker in WI, Strickland in Ohio).

At this point I think DeSantis just loses to Fried in 2022.

In the scenario where he is most likely to win a 2nd term (an unpopular Biden presidency with a long term weak economy), the 2024 GOP primary will not favor a cheery pro-business Sunbelt suburbs campaign, but rather someone who can out populist Biden, including getting to his left on some economic issues to pick up some of the more socially conservative Bernie voters.

Fried is a great candidate, but the Agriculture Commissioner seat is at risk of flipping if she gives it up after one term. I think she’ll probably wait for 2026 when she’s term limited or run for Senate in 2024.

If Gwen Graham runs, she probably clears the field quickly and Fried would have no reason to challenge her.

Ehhh... vaguely rural flavored retreads have accomplished absolutely nothing for Sunbelt Dems in recent times (Bredesen, Edmondson, Perriello, Stacey Evans, Graham in 2018, etc.).  Better to go with the known quantity who won with the new coalition.

She's not really a "retread" so to speak considering we haven't even ran her statewide yet (remember, she only left her initial political office - Congress - to run in 2018 for Governor in the first place), & the feeling of regret for the upset that was picking Gillum over her could probably propel her to a victory in the Democratic primary.
[/quote
I think a Freid vs. Graham primary would be good. If Trump somehow wins in 2020, I think either one of this is favored against DeSantis at this point.

[Person Man]

Yes, definitely presidential caliber and he will run in 2024/28.  Being a governor of Florida confers an immediate advantage in terms of name recognition/fundraising. 

I think so as well. He's doing a great job down here. The people here on the forum complaining him aren't even in Florida. My life has barely changed at all since this started. I only wear a mask for five minutes a day. Only one person I vaguely know got sick (my youngest brother's teacher) but she recovered and school had already been canceled.

The lockdown's precedents are very alarming to me. DeSantis can lead the way by following Kemp's lead, but he is smart enough to know that it should be done in phases.

Hello.

I forgot you’re not a Roman

I still lived most of my life there. And this nonsense might not matter because if he's good enough, people won't care.