DeSantis’ pursuit of white Christian Nationalist vote is going to backfire: columnist

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' attempt to peel away white Christian Nationalist voters from Donald Trumpwill likely end up costing him any chance of being elected president if he somehow wrestles the 2024 GOP nomination away from the former president.

As Salon columnist Heather Digby Parton, wrote, the Florida Republican just signed off a plethora of culture war bills sure to warm the hearts of Christians while stripping away protections from the LGBTQ community, infringing on the rights of women to make private healthcare decisions for themselves and his assault on teachers in his state.

Following the close of the legislative session, DeSantis crowed, "I remember saying when I became governor, the first day, sat in the office, I kinda just looked around and I thought to myself, 'You know, I don't know what SOB is gonna succeed me in this office but they ain't gonna have much to do because we're getting all the meat off the bone.'"

As Parton wrote, DeSantis is chasing after a declining demographic while at the same time turning off voters he will need if he wants to make a serious run in a general election.

As she wrote for Salon, "Right-wing politicians have been running on culture war agendas forever, of course, particularly on issues of race and abortion. But DeSantis has taken it to an extreme level that's verging on bizarre, even for the current GOP. And doing it while running for president in a political environment that has delivered one defeat after another since Republicans embraced MAGA extremism seems inexplicable."

Noting a recent religious census report that showed an exodus from organized religion, she added, "The reason the GOP is hitting these culture war issues so hard is that this largest single faction in the party demands it."

"But they represent only 30% of the electorate, and the rest of the country is overwhelmingly appalled by what the Republicans are doing to appease them. In fact, they are not only destroying the Republican Party, it appears they are gravely damaging their religion as well," she added.

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