Can Ron DeSantis distinguish himself to the GOP and beat Trump? Despite, and maybe because of, the most recent Donald Trump indictment over the alleged mishandling of classified documents, the 45th president’s numbers have soared over the past week.
The most recent polling from Harvard-Harris shows Trump with 60 percent of the Republican vote, a significant lead over his next closest competitor, Ron DeSantis, who is polling at only 14 percent, his lowest number to date. The RCP average for the past month shows Trump at almost 53 percent and DeSantis at 20 percent
While it’s still very early, with the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee taking place over two months from now, these are not great numbers for DeSantis.
The Florida governor will need to secure votes from at least half of Trump’s MAGA base to win the primary, and he’s trying to find ways to do it.
Ron DeSantis is distinguishing himself from Trump particularly when it comes to his private life and an issue that concerns many conservative voters: abortion.
Just an Everyday American Guy
Ron DeSantis opened up about his family in an interview with CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network) News, clearly positioned to make him more relatable and genial to the American people.
The thing is, underneath his pitbull determination against “woke-ism,” DeSantis is quite relatable.
“I’m a working class kid. My mom’s from Youngstown, Ohio, my dad’s from Western Pennsylvania, his father worked in the steel mill. I was born in Florida so I’m a Florida native. You know they were just blue-collar folks and I grew up … I was playing baseball, you know, going to church, just being a part of our community in Dunedin, Florida.”
This rings very different from Trump’s history, always shrouded in the success of big business and the millions made by employing “The Art of the Deal” -type strategies. Unlike Trump, there’s not a whole lot of glitz and glam to the DeSantis story.
His all-American account of a working-class family, baseball, and military and political service is one that DeSantis hopes will resonate with some of Trump’s disaffected working-class base.
“What my life shows is the promise of America because no one would have predicted that I would have done any of the things that I’ve done. I always believed that it doesn’t matter where you start, if you put that nose to the grindstone and work hard, God has a plan for you and you can do well in this country.”
DeSantis’s Faith
DeSantis introduced that one word that liberals hate – God – into the conversation. This is another point of differentiation from Trump, who seems to only bring up faith for photo ops.
“Our household is a Christ-centered household and we’re raising our kids with those values. It’s great for us when are kids are coming back from pre-school and kindergarten talking about David and Goliath. We think that those values are foundational and that’s how we center our family.”
No doubt the interview was meant in large part to cultivate affinity from the Evangelicals in Trump’s base, despite DeSantis’s Roman Catholic beliefs.
He addressed this variation of tradition and practice, stating no matter how one practices it’s where an individual’s heart is in relation to God.
His family’s focus is on how to be a Christian in the modern world and a faith that centers around the cornerstone of John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” and not ritual.
DeSantis declares one cannot separate America and its promise of freedom from its Judeo-Christian heritage.
“We’re free because God has endowed us with inalienable rights. That’s why America was founded. Our constitution was created not to give us rights, but to protect the rights that God has already bestowed upon us.”
DeSantis was asked, “Why you rather than Donald Trump who was very successful with Evangelicals?” He responded that the goal is to beat Biden, and, without saying his name out loud, insinuated that Trump may not be the man to do it.
Abortion
When it came to one of the most polarizing issues in politics, abortion, DeSantis didn’t hold back, claiming Trump has not done enough.
“While I appreciate what the former president has done in a variety of realms, he opposed [the Heartbeat] bill. He said it was quote harsh to protect an unborn child when there’s a detectable heartbeat. I think that’s humane to do. I think pro-lifers have been wanting to see good pro-life protections.”
It’s a risky move because while a strong pro-life stance may help DeSantis earn some votes in the primary, it becomes a liability in the general election.
Many people believe that the Republican party will never win a presidential race with a pro-life stance.
If he does win the Republican nod, DeSantis will somehow have to tone down the pro-life rhetoric a bit and rely more on the state’s rights defense to win enough pro-choice votes.
Ron DeSantis: A Conservative World View
When it comes to upholding conservative values, Governor DeSantis is all in. He doesn’t just want to slow the left down in an effort to “manage the decline” like he claims some Republicans do. He wants to reverse the decline.
“We’re on offense in Florida, and you know what? People are responding positively. If we can do half of what we did in Florida in Washington, we are going to be in really good shape as a country.”
DeSantis took the high road and steered clear of outrightly demonizing Trump. While he was adamant about “cleaning house” at the FBI and DOJ and ending the weaponization of federal agencies, he stopped short of guaranteeing a pardon for the former president, saying he’d be “inclined to grant clemency” in situations where a different standard of justice was applied.
DeSantis walks a constant tightrope wire of attracting many of Trump’s base while distinguishing himself enough to entice Republicans to cast their votes for him in the primary. If he can pull this off, a presidential win should be smooth sailing.
Jennifer Galardi is the politics and culture editor for 19FortyFive.com. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and produces and hosts the podcast Connection with conversations that address health, culture, politics and policy. In a previous life, she wrote for publications in the health, fitness, and nutrition space. In addition, her pieces have been published in the Epoch Times and Pepperdine Policy Review.
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