Posted on 07/17/2018 8:13:29 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
Marian Johnson says if DeSantis is the GOP's nominee, it could be curtains for party in November. Marian Johnson has tracked political trends in Florida for a long time.
The senior vice president for political strategy at the Florida Chamber of Commerce says the Republican race for governor between Adam Putnam and Ron DeSantis is so volatile it could go either way, and could wreck the GOP come November.
"The tide is going right now in Mr. DeSantis' way," Johnson told leaders of Floridians for Better Transportation in St. Petersburg Monday. She said the latest polling data she has seen shows Putnam ahead "but it's closing."
A new Tony Fabrizio poll showed DeSantis with a double-digit lead of 42-30 percent among likely GOP voters, Politico reported, with a margin of error of 5.2 percent.
The Chamber has bet heavily on Putnam, the agriculture commissioner and ex-congressman from Bartow. He has his hands full with DeSantis, a Palm Coast congressman who packs the 1-2 punch of a pipeline to Fox News and an endorsement from President Donald Trump in a primary dominated by Trump loyalists.
Johnson mused aloud that she hoped Putnam realizes the seriousness of the DeSantis threat "and not be like the McCollum team, and do nothing until it's too late" — a reference to the early favorite Bill McCollum's loss to an outsider named Rick Scott in 2010.
"Ask Bill McCollum," Johnson said. "No one was taking Rick Scott that seriously."
But she also predicted that if DeSantis wins the Republican nomination, it could doom the GOP in November and put the governor's mansion back in Democratic hands for the first time in two decades. The last Democratic governor, Lawton Chiles, was re-elected in 1994 and died in 1998.
"He (DeSantis) is going to tie himself so closely to Trump that it's a very, very strong possibility in the general (election) you will have a Democratic governor," she said.
Other Republicans aren't so pessimistic. They see talk of a "blue wave" as overblown, and think that for the first time, Scott could have a positive coattail effect as the party's standard-bearer against Sen. Bill Nelson.
Johnson said 4.7 million of the 12 million voters in Florida today joined the roll since Scott was elected, and nearly half, 44 percent, are registered as NPAs or no party affiliation and are shut out of party primary races.
Johnson has been around long enough to remember the days when candidates would come around and ask for $1,000 — when that was considered a lot of money.
"Now," she said, "it's 'I'm looking for money. Can you give me $10,000 in hard checks — that's 10 $1,000 checks — and $50,000 for my PC (political committee)?' No one can do that."
Johnson has worked in the political trenches for more than four decades in Florida. In her 70s, she still travels the state, sizing up scores of legislative candidates in 30-minute screenings who covet the Chamber's support.
"Buddy, if you think some of the people up there in Tallahassee are crazy, you need to meet some you've never met," Johnson said.
If the Chamber of Commerce is aghast that DeSantis could be the GOP nominee for Florida Governor and President Trump is totally supporting DeSantis, then I do believe we have TWO great reasons to know that DeSantis is absolutely the best GOP candidate!!!!!!
These ‘political analysts’ were so correct last election!
Oh wait... no they weren’t
Weird how the political class always thinks the actual conservative will lose, but they usually end up winning. They called it wrong on Rick Scott, on Rubio (who is clearly the better option over Charlie Crist)0, and again here. Nothing tells me Putnum is a shoe in while the dynamic DeSantis is not. Both would likely win a state who’s barely seen a Democrat win a state wide state office in a decade.
the most important goal the rupukes should have is getting the illegal votes out of the system. Also have close observation on the voting machines. Unfortunately, this seems to be on the bottom of their priority.
Putnam had a new ad on last evening, espousing strong support of the Trump agenda. Interesting because I mentioned immediately to my wife, he must be losing to change direction.
Curtains for the party in Florida?? Really, if a D gets elected Governor, the legislature will still be R, so I doubt it will be curtains...
Oh yeah, the 2016 presidential election!
I am outraged that Putin could possibly be a candidate for governor of Florida. And it’s even worse that Republicans are considering making him their nominee!
For the leader of a foreign country, whose interests frequently are at odds with ours, to potentially become governor of a major —
What? It’s not Putin? It’s Adam Putnam? Never mind.
Putnam is tied hard to ‘Big Sugar’ which has much of the land south of Lake O tied up. The resulting ‘green slime’ hitting east and west S Florida coming out of Lake O is splashing back on Putnam. No solid comments out of his campaign about solving the issue of moving the water back into the Glades, which is the huge concern.
DeSantis is seen more of an outsider and more willing to tackle the underlying issue IMO.
I missed the part where she explains why DeSantis can’t beat the Dem.
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