- Earlier than coming into the 2024 presidential race, Ron DeSantis proudly touted his conservative file.
- But it surely was DeSantis’ tussles with Disney that harm his candidacy from the start.
- The governor’s fights with Disney did not endear him to GOP main voters in the way in which he had hoped.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis significantly miscalculated in making an attempt to overhaul former President Donald Trump within the 2024 GOP presidential race, having are available in a distant second place in Iowa and pulling in dismal numbers in New Hampshire.
However after DeSantis ended his presidential marketing campaign on Sunday, we are able to hint this again to his first nice misstep, the place this all began to bitter and go unsuitable: his battle in opposition to Disney, which hobbled his candidacy earlier than it formally started.
AP Photograph/Carolyn Kaster; Blaine Harrington III/Getty
When his willingness to choose a battle overcame primary political widespread sense
Whereas DeSantis’ political model is rooted in a extra confrontational model of conservatism, his campaign in opposition to a serious state employer and one of the distinguished corporations on the planet set him aside from the remainder of the sector — and never in a great way.
Disney has produced 263,000 direct and oblique jobs in Florida and in 2022 generated $40.3 billion in financial impression within the state, in accordance with an organization examine. For many years, vacationers have come to the state from all around the world to go to Walt Disney World.
However regardless of Disney’s affect, DeSantis railed in opposition to the corporate when in 2022 it spoke out in opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Training Act, which might limit the dialogue of sexual orientation and gender id in grades Ok-3.
The laws, dubbed the “Do not Say Homosexual” invoice, grew to become a flashpoint in America’s tradition wars, which DeSantis was all too joyful to make use of prematurely of his reelection bid and his eventual presidential marketing campaign.
DeSantis continued his campaign in opposition to Disney over the following yr, taking management of what had lengthy been often known as the Reedy Creek Enchancment District and ending the corporate’s self-governing standing.
Courtesy of Terri Peters
A marketing campaign constructed on combating a preferred American firm failed to interrupt via for some motive
It was a collection of occasions that shaped an enormous a part of DeSantis’ presidential marketing campaign, as he sought to undertaking toughness with a GOP voters that had embraced Trump’s hardline ways on every thing from immigration to healthcare throughout his single time period within the White Home.
The battle with Disney went backwards and forwards, with the Mouse at one level scoring a dangerous authorized win over DeSantis when it was revealed that it had severely undermined his appointees’ means to mess with Disney World. It wasn’t the clear win DeSantis wanted, however moderately a bruising boondoggle.
This could turn into a behavior over the course of DeSantis’ run.
However whereas many GOP voters had a optimistic opinion of DeSantis, it did not translate into many votes, it doesn’t matter what he had performed whereas tussling with Disney.
In New Hampshire, which has a powerful center-right custom amongst its Republican voters, DeSantis had initially polled strongly early final yr, coming forward of Trump within the state.
However as DeSantis campaigned throughout New Hampshire, he misplaced help amongst main voters, as he proved to be a poor match for the state’s Republicans.
The latest polling confirmed simply how far DeSantis had fallen in New Hampshire, with a January survey carried out by Saint Anselm School exhibiting the Florida governor with solely 6% help amongst doubtless GOP main voters.
Coupled with DeSantis’ 21% exhibiting within the Iowa caucuses, the place he was 30 factors behind Trump, he did not have a path ahead.
DeSantis made his conservative “blueprint” the inspiration of his marketing campaign, pointing to voting and training reforms to bans on COVID-19 vaccine passports as his ticket to the White Home.
However ultimately, it was DeSantis’ battle with Mickey Mouse that stunted his marketing campaign, and he by no means recovered.
