DeSantis ahead of Biden in presidential election-poll
2023.02.04 09:43
DeSantis ahead of Biden in presidential election-poll
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – A rematch between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump in 2024 is something that Democrats are unconcerned about, if not excited about. However, there are rumblings of angst within Democratic circles regarding the possibility of competing with the new Republican Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis.
According to conversations with Biden advisers and Democratic strategists, the White House has not missed an opportunity to knock DeSantis in an effort to weaken him before he can announce a presidential bid. This is despite the fact that Biden advisers and allies have not yet settled on a strategy to thwart DeSantis.
According to the advisers and strategists, Democrats are concerned that DeSantis, who governs a large, diverse, and former swing state, may be able to win over potential Biden voters—those who would normally vote Republican but were turned off by Trump’s baggage.
Allies of Biden privately worry that DeSantis’s track record might appeal to the same group of suburban, female, and independent voters that Biden needs to court in order to win. DeSantis, on the other hand, is argued by many to be untested nationally and to be vulnerable to defeat in the GOP primary, among voters, or in the debate against other Republicans.
DeSantis, at 44, is a more youthful alternative to Trump, who is 76, and Biden, who is 80.
You immediately exhibit such a disparity in age. Because Trump is not really that young, it is one thing for Biden to stand side by side with him. According to Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy, a Jacksonville, Florida-based consulting firm, “the age difference between Biden and DeSantis is very noticeable.”
Attack emails sent by the Democratic National Committee frequently criticize DeSantis for his policies and positions. Allies and advisers to Biden are attempting to question the governor’s leadership, setting the two camps in conflict over contentious issues like education, taxes, and abortion.
In a particularly passionate statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre recently referred to the DeSantis administration’s rejection of an African American studies honors course as “incomprehensible.”
DeSantis is getting ready to use the book tour and the upcoming session of the Florida legislature, which will include proposals on education, guns, and abortion, as a springboard for a potential presidential bid. He probably will make an announcement after the Florida session ends in May, but he doesn’t want to rush and could wait until summer.
Phil Cox, a longtime Republican operative and former executive director of the Republican Governors Association, is expected to assist with the DeSantis campaign’s management. A request for comment was made to neither Cox nor the press secretary for DeSantis.
In the early stages of a presidential campaign, other Republican governors, such as Scott Walker and Jeb Bush, were adored by the GOP, but they failed to win the nomination.
However, Biden’s ability to govern successfully and normally without Trump’s chaos and drama is a major part of his message for 2024. DeSantis can argue that he can also govern without drama. According to pollsters, although Democrats view him as politically extreme and right-wing, voters have not yet labeled him in that manner.
DeSantis has used his decision to keep most of Florida open during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic as a political stick against Trump and Democrats.
Dane Eagle, the former Secretary of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity under DeSantis, stated, “The governor is not at all a fan of President Biden’s handling of the economy, which restricted businesses during Covid.” We have pushed back against that, and our economy’s 2.5% unemployment rate speaks for itself. Not only do we get different outcomes, but we also get different outcomes from different actions.
Before making a formal announcement, one part of DeSantis’ strategy is to win over as many GOP donors as possible and dominate the race. His response as governor to the Covid-19 shutdowns, his management of the Florida economy, including its low unemployment rate, more stringent immigration laws, and extolling the virtues of limited government are likely to center his presidential campaign. Casey, his wife and former television reporter, is still his most trusted advisor.
Democrats are keeping a close eye on the governor. A staffer based in Tallahassee was recently hired by the DNC to respond to DeSantis in real time. Before the March session of the Florida legislature begins, that press aide will begin.
They have cause for concern. A recent Suffolk University/USA Today poll shows that in a hypothetical matchup, DeSantis would win by 47% to 43%, while the same poll showed that Biden would win by 47% to 40%. In the same poll, the majority of voters stated that neither Biden nor Trump should run again in 2024.
In addition, the Biden administration has ridiculed him regarding abortion, sending Vice President Kamala Harris to Tallahassee to give a speech there to mark the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
