'Stupid strategies': The GOP presidential debate could doom DeSantis’ failing campaign

After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' 19 percent victory in the 2022 midterms, his hardcore supporters awaited his presidential campaign with high hopes. DeSantis, as they saw it, would be a stellar presidential candidate — appealing to the MAGA base, but with more self-discipline than former President Donald Trump and minus Trump's legal problems.

But so far, DeSantis' 2024 presidential campaign has been a colossal disappointment to his supporters. Polls released during the second half of August find the Florida governor trailing Trump by 46 percent (CBS News/You Gov), 44 percent (Morning Consult) or 40 percent (Yahoo News) among Republican presidential primary voters.

This Wednesday night, August 23, DeSantis will be among the eight Republicans featured in the GOP's first 2024 presidential primary debate. Fox News will broadcast the event from Milwaukee, where Trump himself will not be participating. Instead, Trump will be heard in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that will debut online.

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to hold office again?

DeSantis' supporters are hoping that the debate will save his presidential campaign. But The Nation's John Nichols, in an article published on August 23, emphasizes that if DeSantis performs badly, it could doom his campaign. And Nichols points out that DeSantis could "do himself plenty of damage" if he follows the flawed debate strategy leaked by the New York Times on August 17.

According to the Times, that strategy includes defending Trump while attacking primary rivals Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy.

"That's a stupid strategy that will undoubtedly help Ramaswamy gain traction," Nichols argues. "But stupid strategies have defined DeSantis' candidacy. It is now well-established that the governor is more of a media creation than a competent contender. He's fumbling things so badly that Trump now leads DeSantis by 46 points in the latest CBS News/YouGov poll."

DeSantis, Nichols adds, "clearly has no clue how to counter Trump's barbs."

READ MORE: Face it, Ron DeSantis is losing because he’s bad at this

In an article published on August 23, Axios' Erin Dougherty observes that Trump's dominance of the GOP presidential primary has been going on week after week and is showing no signs of letting up.

Dougherty explains, "No candidate has lost a party's nomination with a polling margin like former President Trump's — and it's been more than 20 years since a Republican has had this big of a lead, this consistently, in an open primary…. Trump averages more than 50 percent support in national primary polls, and that number has remained relatively steady across his four criminal indictments.

Dougherty notes, however, that Trump "may also face a ceiling among Republican voters," adding, "Almost a third of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have a very or mostly unfavorable view of him."

READ MORE: Political strategists hammer 'terrible advice' in leaked DeSantis debate strategy

Read The Nation's full article at this link and find Axios' report here.