There’s been a lot of conversation about the DeSantis “stall” lately, and it’s true that he didn’t get a bounce from his announcement.
There are various reasons advanced for DeSantis not getting more traction, some of which have validity (he’s not an electric campaigner, he’s emphasized his anti-woke agenda to the exclusion of other important things). But we aren’t looking at a campaign with the flaws of highly touted campaigns that have flamed out over the years — DeSantis is not going to run out of money, and he’s not out of date.
No, I think the biggest problem he has is that Trump still has a grip on the party, and loosening it is an enormous and very tricky task.
If Trump weren’t in the race, DeSantis pretty clearly would be the front-runner.
That doesn’t change his situation, obviously, but we should be clear about what’s going on.