DeSantis’ rep further diminished after series of brutal GOP primary losses

After the 2022 midterms, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was hailed as one of the rock stars of the GOP and the MAGA movement. DeSantis defeated Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist (an ex-Republican) by 19 percent in a year when Democrats greatly exceeded expectations, and some right-wing pundits predicted he would go on to win the 2024 GOP presidential nomination and enjoy a solid victory over President Joe Biden in the general election.

But DeSantis underperformed as a presidential candidate and ended up dropping out of the race and endorsing now-nominee Donald Trump, who is up against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris now that Biden is no longer seeking reelection.

In an article published on August 21, NBC News' Matt Dixon stresses that DeSantis' reputation in GOP circles has continued to suffer in light of some primary election results the night before.

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"DeSantis backed 23 school board candidates in Tuesday's primaries, and nearly half of them did not win, while six others were forced into runoffs," Dixon explains. "DeSantis remains a popular governor in an increasingly red-leaning state that just saw Republicans take a more than 1 million voter registration advantage. But the primary losses are among the biggest in-state political headwinds he has faced in years."

The NBC News reporter adds, "DeSantis-backed candidates also suffered losses in other races, while he notched victories in some state legislative contests. But the school board elections provide a snapshot of how the political dynamic has shifted for him."

Dixon notes that DeSantis-backed candidates lost even in some of Florida's "traditional conservative strongholds."

A veteran GOP operative in Florida, interviewed on condition of anonymity, told NBC News, "I think it's pretty clear that we are moving back toward a scenario where candidates once again matter. In 2018, a Trump endorsement was inflatable. In 2022, DeSantis could have handpicked anyone in Florida he wanted. In 2024, you need more than an endorsement to win.”

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Read NBC News' full report at this link.