DeSantis' Dimming Flame: The Unraveling Challenges That Were Once Ignored

As the sands of time slip away, Ron DeSantis finds himself trapped in a repetitive loop, desperately in need of a course correction for his faltering White House aspirations. The gears of his presidential campaign seem to be grinding against the walls of stagnation, yet the Florida governor remains unresponsive to the glaring issues at hand.

A recent foray into the political battlegrounds of New Hampshire unveiled a campaign in disarray. Within the solemn walls of a Granite State banquet hall, DeSantis's performance echoed the same awkward rhythm that has come to define his bid—a cringe-worthy symphony of familiar tics and verbal crutches. Despite earnest pleas from both supporters and onlookers to curb his excessive references to his home state, DeSantis persisted in invoking "Florida" a staggering 40 times in just under an hour. The repetitiveness extended to worn-out anecdotes, such as the recounting of his daughters' reluctance to join him on a previous trip, leaving him to regale audiences with the tale once more.

The governor's attempts at diversifying his narrative fell flat, with a dubious claim of supporting the Boston Red Sox throughout his time at prestigious institutions like Harvard and Yale. Meanwhile, DeSantis tiptoed around direct confrontations with his primary adversary, Donald Trump, offering only veiled critiques. "You can go out there half-cocked and shoot your mouth and do all this," he remarked, ostensibly referring to Trump, "but if you’re not actually delivering and winning elections… we have a record of doing that in Florida."

Even the introduction by New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, typically animated, lacked the usual enthusiasm. In hurried remarks, Sununu attempted to inject optimism, asserting that DeSantis is "making a huge surge" and metaphorically "putting the foot leather down." However, the reality reflected in the polls tells a different story—a story of DeSantis sinking into the single digits in New Hampshire, trading places with the previously unknown Vivek Ramaswamy.

A campaign stop that laid bare DeSantis' inherent flaws as a candidate marked the beginning of a week that underscored the inadequacies of his entire campaign apparatus and strategy. The question now looms: Can DeSantis recalibrate his approach in time to salvage a bid that appears to be slipping through his fingers?

Amidst Ron DeSantis' campaign odyssey in New Hampshire, NBC News has unraveled a tale of turmoil within the governor's official campaign and its indispensable ally, the Never Back Down super PAC. Reports suggest that bitter infighting has plagued both entities to such an extent that a new super PAC, with different leadership, is emerging—a move seemingly sanctioned by DeSantis himself. This breakaway PAC, aligning more closely with DeSantis' campaign manager James Uthmeier, has emerged in the wake of internal strife and the replacement of the governor's initial campaign manager in August.

Compounding the campaign's woes, Never Back Down—the primary source of DeSantis' TV ads and the most prolific spender among all campaigns and PACs this cycle—has abruptly vanished from the New Hampshire airwaves. Speculation abounds that this blackout will persist until the pivotal first-in-the-nation primary on Jan. 23. Should DeSantis overperform in the Jan. 15 Iowa caucus, his financially strained campaign might be compelled to finance last-minute New Hampshire ads, a precarious situation according to insiders familiar with the DeSantis team's plans.

While DeSantis has long grappled with challenges, the urgency of the situation lies in the scant progress made in addressing these issues, especially as the primary campaign hurtles towards its climax with Donald Trump still maintaining a commanding presence. The DeSantis team, however, envisions a potential redemption arc through Iowa. Their strategy hinges on leveraging a strong caucus showing to reverse their downward trajectory and, for the first time, put Trump on the defensive.

Yet, the shifting landscape suggests that the torchbearer to challenge Trump's dominance may be Nikki Haley. She is steadily consolidating the non-Trump primary vote and, crucially, garnering substantial donor support. Tuesday marked a significant milestone as Haley secured the coveted endorsement of the billionaire Koch brothers' political network, unlocking a vast reservoir of financial and organizational resources for the critical phases of the primary.

As DeSantis grapples with this internal strife and external challenges, a haunting concept he often invokes on the trail— "managed decline"—now takes on a new dimension. In this context, it's not the decline of a superpower but DeSantis' own political future that requires adept management. Jim Merrill, a seasoned GOP presidential campaign strategist based in New Hampshire, observes, "It feels like there was a little bit of a reboot there late in the summer, but it ended up being more of the same." The governor finds himself at a critical juncture, with the sands of time slipping away and the specter of irrelevance looming ever larger on the horizon.

In response to queries from The Daily Beast, the beleaguered DeSantis campaign attempted to highlight a silver lining, noting that they had accelerated the deployment of TV ads in Iowa, deviating from their original timeline. Campaign spokesperson Andrew Romeo, in the aftermath of Nikki Haley securing the coveted Koch network endorsement, delivered a sardonic congratulation to Donald Trump, insinuating that Haley's alignment with establishment policies contradicted her claim to moderation. The tweet read, “Congratulations to Donald Trump on securing the Koch endorsement... Every dollar spent on Nikki Haley's candidacy should be reported as an in-kind to the Trump campaign.”

Meanwhile, the Never Back Down PAC maintained a conspicuous silence, offering no comment on the unfolding dynamics. Throughout the primary season, DeSantis has presented a message dubbed "Trump-light," a diluted version of the former president's platform, as characterized by University of New Hampshire pollster Andrew Smith. However, Trump supporters seem unswayed, opting for the unadulterated Trump experience over a diluted alternative.

In the eyes of Trumpworld, this unfolding drama seems more of a tragicomedy than a serious political showdown. The initial barrage of attacks on DeSantis by the former president has dwindled since late summer, with sources close to the Trump campaign expressing a mix of indifference and sympathy. One source mused about the future, anticipating the spectacle of DeSantis and Never Back Down figures dissecting their missteps at Harvard post-2024, perhaps with a touch of physical confrontation.

A significant thorn in DeSantis' side appears to be the fragmented culture within his operation. Described as balkanized and plagued by poor communication, the campaign and supporting PACs operate in isolated silos, hindering the efficient flow of information. A Republican consultant, speaking on condition of anonymity, emphasized the pervasive sense of disarray, citing a lack of clarity even among senior-level figures. An early DeSantis supporter in New Hampshire expressed exasperation, painting a picture of constant internal strife over trivial matters. "The DeSantis team? Everything's a fucking problem," they sighed, capturing the essence of a campaign grappling with not just external challenges, but also internal discord.

In a glimmer of hope for Ron DeSantis, some Republicans who have had private interactions with him are departing with positive impressions, revealing a side of the candidate that diverges significantly from the packaged image presented by PACs and the campaign. Behind closed doors, one influential yet undecided Republican, well-versed in New Hampshire primary dynamics, noted a transformation in DeSantis's demeanor at a private event. They suggested that the governor seemed more at ease and articulate in a smaller setting, drawing parallels to the narrative once cultivated around former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—an appeal to witness the unfiltered candidate.

While DeSantis often alludes to the desirability of a two-term GOP presidency in public, this event attendee disclosed a more detailed and technocratic vision for governance during the private gathering. Describing DeSantis as a "new person," they were particularly impressed with his handling of pressure, citing a nuanced response to a question on abortion.

With the clock ticking and the need for a campaign makeover pressing, DeSantis and his team are taking a bold and somewhat risky approach. A scheduled primetime debate with California Governor Gavin Newsom is on the horizon. Although DeSantis has yet to face off against Trump, there's optimism that a one-on-one clash with his California adversary could reveal an unseen facet of the Florida governor. At a recent Manchester event, DeSantis exuded confidence when discussing the upcoming debate, accusing Newsom of running a "shadow campaign" for 2024 in case President Joe Biden doesn't appear on the ballot. However, behind closed doors, early DeSantis backers in New Hampshire are harboring concerns about the potential pitfalls of this encounter.

Privately, there's a palpable anxiety among DeSantis supporters in the Granite State, fearing that the governor's performance in the debate could either propel him forward or deal a significant blow. A seasoned New Hampshire primary veteran and DeSantis supporter expressed the sentiment succinctly: "If Ron DeSantis doesn’t find a personality and a way to articulate thoughts that are not canned answers, he could get his ass kicked, and it’ll hurt him. If you’re gonna go after Newsom, you better not miss."

While the Newsom debate presents an unconventional opportunity for DeSantis to reshape perceptions, there's a sobering acknowledgment that a one-off event can only do so much to alter his image among GOP voters. As political strategist Jim Merrill aptly notes, "You don’t often get a second chance to make a first impression." The stakes are high, and the debate could prove to be a pivotal moment in the trajectory of DeSantis' presidential bid.

In the eleventh hour of Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign, a nuanced and potentially redeeming side of the candidate has emerged behind closed doors, providing a glimmer of hope for a campaign fraught with internal strife and external challenges. Privy to a more technocratic vision and adept handling of pressure, DeSantis, when not confined by the constraints of a large audience, reveals a persona that diverges from the scripted image presented by campaign machinery.

As the campaign strives for a last-ditch effort at revival, a pivotal moment approaches with a primetime debate against California Governor Gavin Newsom. While DeSantis exudes confidence in public, private concerns among early supporters in New Hampshire underscore the high stakes of the encounter. The debate poses a dual challenge for DeSantis—finding an authentic voice and avoiding the potential pitfalls of a mismatch against Newsom.

The conclusion is clear: the upcoming debate is a critical juncture that could either breathe new life into DeSantis' faltering campaign or deal a severe blow. The complexities of his candidacy, marked by internal discord, fragmented messaging, and the shadow of Trump, now hinge on his ability to seize this moment and present a compelling, unfiltered narrative to the GOP electorate. The maxim holds true: in the unpredictable arena of politics, second chances to make first impressions are rare, and for DeSantis, the outcome of this debate could shape the narrative of his presidential bid.

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