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Ron DeSantis left the debate untouched — because no one bothered to attack him
NBC News ^ | Aug. 24, 2023 | Henry J. Gomez

Posted on 08/24/2023 11:02:56 AM PDT by conservative98

MILWAUKEE — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, once clearly shown by polls to be the top Republican alternative to former President Donald Trump in 2024, left the GOP debate stage here Wednesday night without a scratch on him.

That’s mainly because his rivals barely swiped at him — a somewhat surprising development that observers were quick to cite as evidence of his diminished standing in the race.

“It speaks volumes that just months after being the co-front-runner of this race, Ron DeSantis has fallen so far that none of his seven opponents onstage felt the need to attack him but instead went after a first-time upstart,” said GOP strategist Matt Mowers, who attended the debate.

A longtime DeSantis bundler said that coming into the debate, “major donors” were watching to see how he performed.

“I think we will continue to kick the can,” the bundler said afterward.

DeSantis still regularly polls in second place behind Trump, but it’s a distant second. These days he’s much closer to mid-tier candidates like Vivek Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old businessman from Ohio whom most GOP voters knew little to nothing about at the beginning of the year.

And it was Ramaswamy, not DeSantis, who found himself the night’s biggest target, taking the arrows normally reserved for the front-runner — or, in this case, the biggest target onstage, with Trump having decided to skip the debate. The two-hour showdown was punctuated by one-on-one fights between Ramaswamy and former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.

DeSantis made few, if any, obvious mistakes Wednesday. But even at center stage — next to Ramaswamy, because of their respective poll numbers — he was often on the sidelines

(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: debates; desantis
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To: conservative98

I think with the exception of pence, everyone other than DeSantis is running for VP. They want to be DeSantis’s VP.


21 posted on 08/24/2023 11:52:59 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: BlackbirdSST

From the article...co-front-runner of this race

That is some awesome abuse of the English language.

******************

Co-front-runner as in Sham was a co-front-runner to Secretariat.


22 posted on 08/24/2023 12:04:34 PM PDT by unclebankster ( Globalism is the last refuge scoundrel)
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To: conservative98

He also had little of substance to say.


23 posted on 08/24/2023 12:13:05 PM PDT by jacknhoo (Luke 12:51; Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.)
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To: conservative98
Name calling?

Why divide the Party?

The election will be either DeSantis or Trump against a younger, more dynamic, well-spoken Dem (not JB IMO). Whoever wins the GOP nom will need everyone on board.

24 posted on 08/24/2023 12:14:32 PM PDT by Seaplaner (Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never...in nothing, great or small...Winston ChurchIill)
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To: conservative98

Nobody attacks him except the Freepers who don’t like him.


25 posted on 08/24/2023 12:18:53 PM PDT by popdonnelly (All the enormous crimes in history have been committed by governments.)
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To: NWFree

Dude looked outclassed by this group of retards..... what can he do on the big stage... yikes.


26 posted on 08/24/2023 12:43:08 PM PDT by MrRelevant
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To: conservative98

And what exactly should they attack?


27 posted on 08/24/2023 1:19:16 PM PDT by TBP (Decent people cannot fathom the amoral cruelty of the Biden regime.)
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To: G Larry

The betting markets like PredictIt have him moving up significantly.


28 posted on 08/24/2023 1:20:07 PM PDT by TBP (Decent people cannot fathom the amoral cruelty of the Biden regime.)
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To: AnthonySoprano

Zero people thought Ramaswampy won.


29 posted on 08/24/2023 1:20:52 PM PDT by TBP (Decent people cannot fathom the amoral cruelty of the Biden regime.)
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To: Garden Island
Trump, who campaigns with Lindsay Graham and who endorsed Paul Ryan

And Romenyu and McCain and Oz.

And Ronna. Even whipped votes for her.

But everyone else is a RINO.

30 posted on 08/24/2023 1:22:39 PM PDT by TBP (Decent people cannot fathom the amoral cruelty of the Biden regime.)
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To: Garden Island
DeSantis never chose deep state people like Trump to work under him.

He chooses bulldogs like Christina Pushaw.

31 posted on 08/24/2023 1:23:35 PM PDT by TBP (Decent people cannot fathom the amoral cruelty of the Biden regime.)
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To: 1Old Pro

Nope.


32 posted on 08/24/2023 1:24:18 PM PDT by TBP (Decent people cannot fathom the amoral cruelty of the Biden regime.)
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To: conservative98
For not showing up to the debate last night.
33 posted on 08/24/2023 1:25:22 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: conservative98

“Oh. Ron...Hey, didn’t know you were there.”


34 posted on 08/24/2023 1:26:56 PM PDT by Sirius Lee (They intend to murder us. Prep if you want to live and live like you are prepping for eternal life)
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To: G Larry

Washington Post poll from last night and this morning shows among those who watched the debate DeSantis gained slightly, Trump dropped slightly, Haley’s favorables went up significantly, Ramaswamy and Scott had higher favorables but their negatives, particularly for Ramaswamy, spiked. Pence and Christie saw their favorables go up a bit, more in Christie’s case, but their unfavorables are still over 50. All Burgum and Hutchinson did was double their favorables and double their unfavorables. Hutchinson, like Pence and Christie, is a net negative.

Vivek’s unfavorables went from 13 to 32. The only ones higher are Trump (35), Burgum (35), Hutchinson (47), Pence (54) and Christie (60).

The best numbers belong to DeSantis (72-25), Haley (65-27) and Scott (65-23). Trump is 59-35 favorable with debate watchers.


35 posted on 08/24/2023 1:28:24 PM PDT by TBP (Decent people cannot fathom the amoral cruelty of the Biden regime.)
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To: All

Will that A-hole from Reno chime in????

You NNEED a frIEND!


36 posted on 08/24/2023 2:15:51 PM PDT by BBB333 (The Power Of Trump Compels You!)
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To: conservative98

That was no debate it was a debacle it looked like a democrat event.


37 posted on 08/24/2023 2:47:46 PM PDT by Vaduz (....)
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To: cowboyusa
He have a Cabinet Posistion. 28 is for Donalds, Noem or Younklin

Good Lord! Try a proofread on occasion!
38 posted on 08/24/2023 3:01:40 PM PDT by EliRoom8
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To: conservative98

I didn’t watch any of the debate but from every report I read this morning it seems like Vivek Ramaswamy came away as the winner.

Not that it matters because President Trump will be the nominee. These others are just a distraction and a waste of time and funds that should be used to defeat Democrats.


39 posted on 08/24/2023 3:05:13 PM PDT by CrosscutSaw
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To: Garden Island
There is nothing to attack him on.

Exactly. And they know if they repeated Trump’s lies he’s globalist funded, which is all they have, they know it will actually be looked into and refuted. Trump is obviously the international businessman with actual WEF buddies, and a child who’s an official WEF Globalist Leader, not DeSantis.

40 posted on 08/24/2023 3:11:50 PM PDT by Golden Eagle (Ultra Conservative)
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