Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told Republican voters on Wednesday that Democrats are eager to face former President Donald Trump so they can run the “same playbook” that hamstrung Republicans in the midterm elections.
Mr. DeSantis, campaigning in Iowa, said a red wave didn’t appear in 2022 because Democrats were able to distract voters from inflation and other problems with the fallout from the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot and issues that swirl around Mr. Trump.
“People were dissatisfied, yet a certain number of voters, even believing that, still did not want to vote for Republican candidates,” Mr. DeSantis, a 2024 candidate for president, told the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale. “They’re going to run that same playbook again.”
Mr. DeSantis pointed to a Colorado Supreme Court decision Tuesday barring Mr. Trump from the primary ballot as an example of Democrats and media allies conspiring to energize Mr. Trump‘s primary base so they can hammer him with his legal issues in the general election.
“That’s their plan. That’s what they want. What they don’t want is to have somebody like me, who will make the election not about those other issues but make the election about the failures of Biden, the failures of the left, and how we’re going to be able to turn the country around,” Mr. DeSantis said. “If that’s how the election is framed, we will win.”
Mr. DeSantis said that he is well-positioned to attract Cabinet leaders from around the country and that Mr. Trump will suffer slippage in a general election among Republicans who voted for Mr. Trump twice but can’t stomach him now.
“Katy bar the door, that’s going to be a gift for Democrats,” Mr. DeSantis said at the campaign stop with Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican who has endorsed the governor.
Mr. DeSantis is scrambling for visibility and support ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15 that kick off the GOP primary season.
Mr. Trump remains in cruise control. An Emerson College poll released Wednesday said Mr. Trump has 50% support from Republican voters in Iowa.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has 17% of support from Republican caucus voters, overtaking Mr. DeSantis at 15%, the poll said.
Mr. DeSantis, who is endorsed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, exuded confidence in front of voters early Wednesday, saying he beat the odds in Florida elections and will do it nationwide.
“I have the best electoral track record. I’ve overperformed expectations, and I’ve always overperformed the polls,” he said.
Previewing his platform, Mr. DeSantis said he would cut spending in Washington, eliminate the IRS and replace it with a “single-rate tax system,” and pump the brakes on electric-vehicle mandates.
Mr. Roy said efforts to shift away from fossil fuels will only benefit China and India while the U.S. lags.
“Governor DeSantis will flip that on its head,” the congressman said.
Source:Washington Times
