Leaked Donor Event Audio Hurts Ron DeSantis' Campaign
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' three-day "Ron-o-Rama" retreat in Miami last week presented a path to victory.
Team DeSantis' logic actually helped former President Donald Trump win.
Many dubious assumptions underpin the rationale.
Florida Politics got contrasting audio and slides aimed to make DeSantis sound like he has a solid chance.
It raises more questions than it answers.
Data showed Trump and DeSantis tied. Campaign staffers find positives in everything, including a "rah-rah, we're just as popular as Trump" mantra.
But anyone who knows politics—or has a shred of logic—can see that this is bad news for DeSantis.
Most polls show DeSantis trailing Trump by double digits, with the Real Clear Politics average showing Trump up by 22 points in Iowa,
18 points in New Hampshire, and 25 points in South Carolina—all early-voting states that routinely break campaigns before they start.DeSantis' logic also depends on winning the winner-take-all Florida primary, which has a lot of delegates.