Ron DeSantis is down but is he out?
Stuck between a dominant Donald Trump and a surging Nikki Haley, the man once seen as the GOP's best hope for 2024 scrambles to salvage a struggling campaign


In the aftermath of the 2022 midterms, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) seemed like an inevitable political juggernaut, having engineered the sole bright spot for Republicans in an otherwise underwhelming electoral cycle. With his "Make America Florida" agenda of culture war posturing and combative social conservatism, DeSantis had positioned himself in the somewhat paradoxical role of both heir apparent to former President Donald Trump's MAGA movement, as well as a savior of sorts for the "never Trump" wing of the GOP which had grown sick of the former president's stranglehold on their party. That Trump himself soon began sniping at "Ron DeSanctimonious" amid polling that showed the Florida governor trouncing the former president in a hypothetical primary was proof enough that DeSantis' star was firmly on the rise.
With the 2024 presidential primary race now officially underway, DeSantis' once-bright star is decidedly duller than it once was. After his campaign focused almost exclusively on this week's Iowa caucuses, DeSantis' far distant second-place finish behind Trump coupled with former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley's particularly strong third-place showing signaled to many that the governor's road to the White House was nearing a dead end. DeSantis, however, has not only vowed to stay in the race, but is already looking past the upcoming New Hampshire primary to the "important state" of South Carolina, and Nevada after that, predicting to reporters this week that Haley is "just not going to win any delegates" there. But is DeSantis' political optimism warranted, or is he simply simply delaying the inevitable?
What the commentators said
Second place in Iowa was "good enough to punch [DeSantis'] ticket" to participate in future primaries, according to Time. Ultimately, however, it may be a "ticket to nowhere." While his second-place finish meant he'd "hit one mark that he had to," DeSantis is polling poorly in both New Hampshire and Haley's home state of South Carolina, making his path to the nomination "unclear" — no matter his commitment to "sticking around to forge it."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While his defeat of Haley in Iowa was "thinner" than DeSantis' team wanted, it was "far better than the death knell of the third-place finish they had feared," NBC News reported. To that end, the campaign is in "full-on survival mode" at best, and living in a "fantasy land" at worst. Internally, however, the campaign is "rallying around the idea" that it can still persevere in a one-on-one race against Trump.
DeSantis firmly believes Trump will not make it through the 2024 election, Ron Filipkowski of Midas Touch explained on MSNBC, noting that if you listen to DeSantis on the campaign trail, he is "betting on criminal cases and cholesterol" in hopes of still being in the race by the upcoming party convention.
Much of the challenge for DeSantis stems from having "emphasized many of the same culturally conservative stances and issues" as Trump, while failing to eat into the former president's base of support, according to NPR. At the same time, he has "alienated some moderate elements" of the GOP worried about how he would fare in the general election.
Noting that DeSantis has tried to run to Trump's right — where "there isn’t much room" — the conservative editorial board of The Wall Street Journal urged the governor to drop out of the race now, and "give Ms. Haley a chance to take on Mr. Trump one on one."
What next?
Running far behind Haley in New Hampshire, DeSantis seems focused instead on taking the fight to Haley's home turf, visiting Greenville, South Carolina, immediately after the Iowa caucuses ended. He told reporters that if Haley can't win there, "I don't see how she could say she's gonna win Super Tuesday or any of those other states."
Going to Greenville "signals to Nikki Haley that this race is not over," GOP strategist Dave Wilson told CBS. It's a recognition that "he has got to energize a group of people behind him and knock Nikki Haley off her game."
DeSantis has vowed to up his presence in South Carolina in the coming weeks, telling reporters that although he hasn't "spent a lot of money here yet, we're gonna start to let us be known a little bit more."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
How would the Trump administration denaturalize immigrant citizens?
Today's Big Question Using civil courts lowers the burden of proof
-
Who has to pay the estate tax?
the explainer Trump's new bill will permanently shift who owes federal estate tax
-
'Trucking is a dangerous business'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
'Trucking is a dangerous business'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
Are masked ICE agents America's new secret police?
Today's Big Question Critics say masks undermine trust in law enforcement
-
Trump's strikes on Iran: a 'spectacular success'?
In Depth Military humiliations 'expose the brittleness' of Tehran's ageing regime, but risk reinforcing its commitment to its nuclear program
-
Will NATO countries meet their new spending goal?
today's big question The cost of keeping Trump happy
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump