It’s not exactly a secret that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign is not ending 2023 on a positive note. The Florida Republican hoped to be in contention for his party’s nomination by this point, but instead, DeSantis has faltered as the race unfolded.
As the year got underway, polling averages from FiveThirtyEight found DeSantis in a strong second-place position, trailing Donald Trump by roughly 11 points. Now, the gap between the two is nearly 50 points.
The race certainly isn’t yet over, but as The New York Times reported, the governor shared a few thoughts late last week as to what went wrong.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida said that the indictments of former President Donald J. Trump had “distorted” the Republican presidential primary, tacitly admitting that the former president’s legal problems have helped him. “If I could have one thing change, I wish Trump hadn’t been indicted on any of this stuff,” Mr. DeSantis told David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network in an interview that aired on Thursday.
The governor added that the indictments had “just crowded out, I think, so much other stuff and it’s sucked out all the oxygen.”
In context, the CBN anchor asked, “Is there anything you, if not regret, you look at this campaign and go, ‘I wish I would’ve done that.’ How do you feel about that?”
The GOP candidate wasted little time in turning his attention to the former president’s indictments.
On the surface, and as a matter of political analysis, DeSantis’ point is hardly unreasonable. Trump’s multiple criminal indictments represented a political earthquake of sorts, especially in Republican politics. The charges turned the former president into something of a far-right martyr; they gave Trump a fundraising boost; they reinforced ridiculous conspiracy theories the party’s base wanted to believe anyway; and Trump’s rivals felt compelled to go along with the narratives established by their party’s frontrunner.
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