Is the Ron DeSantis hype real or just a meme?

[Medal506]

To me, he seems like a polished version of Ted Cruz. He’s like a more charismatic, more likable Ted Cruz.

I know atlas hates Cruz, so is the DeSantis hype real or just a meme? Cause DeSantis is probably the most conservative Republican that’s looking to run for President in 2024 and atlas tends to be pretty liberal and the Republicans on this site tend to be more centrist.

[DaleCooper]

I think for now he's the only potential candidate (aside from Trump) that has any real shot, but it's a long way off still.

[Bootes Void]

Meme

[Arizona Iced Tea]

The reason DeSantis is hyped up is because it is believed that all factions of the GOP can unite around him. Trump supporters and moderates all seem supportive of him and he seems to focus on different ideas than traditional GOP talking points. For example as governor he focused on the Everglades and water quality, but is also focusing on big tech. Basically a wide array of new ideas that feels fresh from the pre Trump era but doesn't seem to alienate any specific group at least more so than Trump did.

[Bickle]

The reason DeSantis is hyped up is because it is believed that all factions of the GOP can unite around him. Trump supporters and moderates all seem supportive of him and he seems to focus on different ideas than traditional GOP talking points. For example as governor he focused on the Everglades and water quality, but is also focusing on big tech. Basically a wide array of new ideas that feels fresh from the pre Trump era but doesn't seem to alienate any specific group at least more so than Trump did.

or he's hyped because he lives in FL like Trump and centered his entire campaign and governorship around being as pro Trump as possible

[Arizona Iced Tea]

The reason DeSantis is hyped up is because it is believed that all factions of the GOP can unite around him. Trump supporters and moderates all seem supportive of him and he seems to focus on different ideas than traditional GOP talking points. For example as governor he focused on the Everglades and water quality, but is also focusing on big tech. Basically a wide array of new ideas that feels fresh from the pre Trump era but doesn't seem to alienate any specific group at least more so than Trump did.

or he's hyped because he lives in FL like Trump and centered his entire campaign and governorship around being as pro Trump as possible

Yeah I agree that is a big part of his appeal as well and is why he would do good with Trump supporters. However, some of his political stances differ from Trump which could help him with moderates and other factions of the party beyond just the Trump wing.

[Mr. Morden]

I'm not sure what you mean by your question.  Are you asking if DeSantis being the candidate of the moment is something that the forum just made up, as opposed to it having some basis in the outside world?  If so, then it's the latter, in the sense that, in polls in which Trump is not listed as an option, he's now in the "top tier" (which just means that he's at least double digits), whereas as recently as December he was only at 1 or 2% in every poll.  See the last poll of Iowa and the last poll nationally, for example:

https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=435200.0
https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=433951.0

So *something* has happened to get him some national attention, because candidates who start out with poor national name recognition and stuck in the 0-2% range in polls do not normally make that kind of jump this far in advance of the actual primaries.  Many candidates in the 0-2% range *never* get beyond that.  I mean, Hickenlooper got like 1% in the polls, and no one knew who he was, and then once he ran and appeared in debates, people *still* didn't know who he was.

So DeSantis has at least made that first move, to getting some national attention.  But whether that means he'll still be a player 3 years from now is anyone's guess.

[DaleCooper]

There are a variety of reasons why Democrats shouldn't underestimate DeSantis. The biggest one being that he can unite the GOP in a way few others can. He's the only big name as far as I can tell that remained a public ally of Trump without being a spineless, groveling buffoon like Ted Cruz or Lindsay Graham did. He's also distant enough from Trump to be completely separated from things like the Capitol Riot and the attempts to steal the election. The boil it down, he's the "Trumpism without Trump" that people have been speculating about. He can appeal to Trump's base without the disgusting persona or the blatant criminality and overt disdain for democracy that turns off the suburbs.

He also is apparently a skilled campaigner that doesn't give up when the expert consensus is that his defeat is almost inevitable. A lot of people have tried to rewrite history on this, but don't forget that Gillum's loss was one of the biggest upsets of 2018 outside of a couple House elections.

[BlueSwan]

The Q people love him and the GQP can't win without those people. Also he is probably the only Q politician that the rest of the GQP can get fully behind - with the possible exception of Kristi Noem, who basically has no national profile.

So yeah, I think it is real. He is the "saner Trump" that some GQP'ers are looking for.

On the other hand, he has zero chance at the nomination if the God Emperor himself runs. His entire appeal is that he is a fully committed Trumpist, so he can't challenge Trump.

Also, he doesn't have the magnetic charisma that Trump for some reason has.

[John Dule]

Well of course it's a meme, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it's not real?

[Oregon Eagle Politics]

He's a more competent Trump, which makes him more dangerous yet more safe than the real Trump.

[Del Tachi]

I'm not sure what you mean by your question.  Are you asking if DeSantis being the candidate of the moment is something that the forum just made up, as opposed to it having some basis in the outside world?  If so, then it's the latter, in the sense that, in polls in which Trump is not listed as an option, he's now in the "top tier" (which just means that he's at least double digits), whereas as recently as December he was only at 1 or 2% in every poll.  See the last poll of Iowa and the last poll nationally, for example:

https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=435200.0
https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=433951.0

So *something* has happened to get him some national attention, because candidates who start out with poor national name recognition and stuck in the 0-2% range in polls do not normally make that kind of jump this far in advance of the actual primaries.  Many candidates in the 0-2% range *never* get beyond that.  I mean, Hickenlooper got like 1% in the polls, and no one knew who he was, and then once he ran and appeared in debates, people *still* didn't know who he was.

So DeSantis has at least made that first move, to getting some national attention.  But whether that means he'll still be a player 3 years from now is anyone's guess.

You're much more familiar with the early primary polling than I am, so let me ask:  what are DeSantis' name recognition numbers among GOP voters?  I'd suspect they'd be somewhere between 20-30% so the fact that he's maybe winning a majority of GOP voters who have heard of him in a sans Trump race seems very significant.   

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Charlie Crist is all but in for the Gubernatorial Elections, Cubans like Crist, it's 20 mnths til the next Election, never say never in politics


I don't ever want to hear DeSANTIS after 2022, but will hear Rubio

[Sir Mohamed]

Too soon to tell. He looks elactable on paper, but well... we know what that actually means. Not much.

[Medal506]

He's a more competent Trump, which makes him more dangerous yet more safe than the real Trump.

That’s what I like about him, he’s more a competent Trump which means he’ll be more effective and do great things.

[Motorcity]

The hype is real

Trump likes him and he seems to be the only person Trump would endorse outside his family. He governs as a moderate and is an elected official so that statfys most of the GOP. And he is from a swing state who won with support from minorities

[BudgieForce]

Its as real as the Chris Christie hype from 2013. Doesn't mean it won't last untill 2024 but we've seen many prospective presidential candidates get hyped up only to sputter out before Iowa.

[Roll Roons]

Its as real as the Chris Christie hype from 2013. Doesn't mean it won't last untill 2024 but we've seen many prospective presidential candidates get hyped up only to sputter out before Iowa.

So as long as he doesn't close down any bridges, he's good. I really think Christie would have easily gotten the nomination and won the White House if not for Bridgegate.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

In a Covid Environment and Biden is Prez and set to run for Reelection in 2024 DeSANTIS isn't gonna be Prez, he would beat DeSantis in Rust belt where there are very few Latinos, mostly AA

[BudgieForce]

Its as real as the Chris Christie hype from 2013. Doesn't mean it won't last untill 2024 but we've seen many prospective presidential candidates get hyped up only to sputter out before Iowa.

So as long as he doesn't close down any bridges, he's good. I really think Christie would have easily gotten the nomination and won the White House if not for Bridgegate.

Bridgegate started the decline but he made so many political mistakes during his second term as governor that I'm not sure he'd have gotten the nomination anyway.

[Xing]

We'll find out in a little less than three years. Any predictions made this far out are even money to become either "prophetic" or material for the well-aged content thread.

[Mr. Morden]

I'm not sure what you mean by your question.  Are you asking if DeSantis being the candidate of the moment is something that the forum just made up, as opposed to it having some basis in the outside world?  If so, then it's the latter, in the sense that, in polls in which Trump is not listed as an option, he's now in the "top tier" (which just means that he's at least double digits), whereas as recently as December he was only at 1 or 2% in every poll.  See the last poll of Iowa and the last poll nationally, for example:

https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=435200.0
https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=433951.0

So *something* has happened to get him some national attention, because candidates who start out with poor national name recognition and stuck in the 0-2% range in polls do not normally make that kind of jump this far in advance of the actual primaries.  Many candidates in the 0-2% range *never* get beyond that.  I mean, Hickenlooper got like 1% in the polls, and no one knew who he was, and then once he ran and appeared in debates, people *still* didn't know who he was.

So DeSantis has at least made that first move, to getting some national attention.  But whether that means he'll still be a player 3 years from now is anyone's guess.

You're much more familiar with the early primary polling than I am, so let me ask:  what are DeSantis' name recognition numbers among GOP voters? 

I don't think I've seen any national polls that measure his favorability, so I don't know.

[Bickle]

The hype is real

Trump likes him and he seems to be the only person Trump would endorse outside his family. He governs as a moderate and is an elected official so that statfys most of the GOP. And he is from a swing state who won with support from minorities

Did he?  Gillum won both the hispanic and black vote.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

The hype is real

Trump likes him and he seems to be the only person Trump would endorse outside his family. He governs as a moderate and is an elected official so that statfys most of the GOP. And he is from a swing state who won with support from minorities

Did he?  Gillum won both the hispanic and black vote.

He didn't win majorities of the minority vote, but he won enough of them for him to win. At least, that seems to be what Motorcity is arguing.

[Roll Roons]

The hype is real

Trump likes him and he seems to be the only person Trump would endorse outside his family. He governs as a moderate and is an elected official so that statfys most of the GOP. And he is from a swing state who won with support from minorities

Did he?  Gillum won both the hispanic and black vote.

He didn't win majorities of the minority vote, but he won enough of them for him to win. At least, that seems to be what Motorcity is arguing.

2022 will be the real test of his minority appeal. His numbers in Dade will be very interesting to see.