On Tuesday, November 15th, former President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced that he would again be running for President of the United States. Two years ago, Trump was defeated by current President Joe Biden and famously protested his loss by claiming the election was rigged against him. Trump will now be running for a non-consecutive term as president but does so with many Republicans against him.
Trump's presidential announcement comes one week after a failed "red wave" from the Republicans. Although the Republicans have all but won back the House, they lost several key senate and gubernatorial races across the country. Several of these Republicans that fell short in their races were endorsed by Trump, which likely hurt their candidacy.
Trump-endorsed Republican Kari Lake recently lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial race, and Lake's election denial only furthered the anti-Trump agenda with moderates. Another Trump-endorsed candidate, Herschel Walker, will go into a runoff with the Democrat senator incumbent, Raphael Warnock, in the Georgia senate race. Interestingly, Brian Kemp, the incumbent Republican Georgia governor who has previously spoken out against Trump, won reelection by just under eight points against Stacey Abrams.
Although Trump still has a base that staunchly supports him, many have given up on him or want someone new to represent the GOP. While Trump earned plenty of praise for his economic work, many criticized him for his divisive demeanor and unwillingness to work across party lines. Trump was unpopular amongst Democrats for his entire presidency and is now losing support with the Republicans, especially after attacks against potential allies.
For the past several months, a rivalry has begun to brew between the very popular Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, and Donald Trump. Trump has taken shots at DeSantis, calling him "Ron Desanctimonious", and while DeSantis has mostly remained quiet, his popularity in the traditional swing state of Florida speaks for itself. DeSantis has become very popular in Florida, winning reelection in a landslide for his support for family values, freedom, and a strong economy.
Over the past few years, Florida has moved more to the right, and DeSantis has helped with that. Although their state politics have always been slightly to the right, their national voting record has gone for both major political parties in recent years. DeSantis's emphasis on freedom has helped move Florida to the right, and his popularity in the state will help him in his bid for the 2024 race if he runs.
DeSantis is popular in his home state of Florida and will likely be able to flip several swing states, something Trump will have a difficult time doing. In 2020, Trump lost to Biden in the swing states Arizona and Georgia, which used to be solid Republican states. Two years later, Trump endorsed Republican's in both states, which may have hurt their campaigns.
Donald Trump did some good things as president, but his leadership skills left a lot to be desired, and people of both major parties believe that. If he runs, Ron DeSantis is the best chance the Republicans have at winning in 2024, especially after Trump may have hurt their attempt at a red wave. What DeSantis offers to the Republican base is an emphasis on freedom and family, but without all the baggage and divisive demeanor Trump has.
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