Free Republic

The G.O.P. contender’s campaign tried to take on Donald Trump’s online army. Now it just wants to end the meme wars. ---------------------------------- In early May, as Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida prepared to run for president, about a dozen right-wing social media influencers gathered at his pollster’s home for cocktails and a poolside buffet. The guests all had large followings or successful podcasts and were already fans of the governor. But Mr. DeSantis’s team wanted to turn them into a battalion of on-message surrogates who could tangle with Donald J. Trump and his supporters online. For some, however, the gathering...

Former President Donald Trump has jumped 13 points in Texas’s Republican primary race since July, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has lost steam, a Defend Texas Liberty PAC/CWS Research survey released this week found.The survey asked likely 2024 Texas Republican primary voters whom they would support if the GOP primary were held today.A majority, 61 percent, said they would support Trump, reflecting a 13 point bump from the 48 percent who chose him in the July issue poll. No other candidate listed saw a bump even close to Trump’s.On the contrary, DeSantis came in a distant second with ten percent...