In late summer 2015, Sarah Silverman, the popular comedian, urged her fans to gather at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena for an exciting event. The arena, no longer in existence, had seen plenty of action – it was the previous residence of several sports teams and a coveted concert venue for stars like Bruce Springsteen and U2. But the star that evening was politician Bernie Sanders. Not your average rock star, but his booming popularity certainly painted that picture.
This particular event amassed a crowd of almost 28,000, a number that dwarfed the venue's maximum capacity of 16,000. Rallies supporting Sanders always outnumbered those for Hillary Clinton, who he was running against at the time. Despite not securing the nomination, his passionate followers consistently outnumbered Clinton's, proving the power of a cause over a corporation.
The same dynamic currently defines the showdown between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, Florida governor and 2024 Republican Presidential hopeful. Despite three indictments, Trump leads his party’s primary race with a staggering 54% of votes, dwarfing DeSantis' lukewarm support of 17%. Experiencing significant losses throughout his presidency didn’t douse the loyalty of Trump's large following. If polls are any indication, Trump is more than a candidate – he's a movement, a cause.
DeSantis, on the other hand, isn't having the best of luck. Despite offering $1 beers at a New Hampshire event, he barely drew 30 supporters. His campaign strategy doesn’t seem to be working as campaign workers are gradually being let go to stem the bleeding donor concern.
Conservative writer George Will had a bleak view of DeSantis' campaign, calling it "dour, odd," and "pratfalling." Recently, Ed Rollins, head of the Ready for Ron committee, has decided to pull his support for DeSantis. He gave a sobering statement to Rolling Stone, saying, “I don’t think it’s the campaign’s fault at all; it’s his.”
The candidate's defense of Black history curriculum in Florida schools was met with criticisms from Republican lawmakers and his fellow presidential hopefuls. Captions like “Ron DeSantis Is Really Bad at Running for President,” “Ron DeSantis has Entered the Doom Loop,” and “Ron DeSantis’ Campaign is Now Entering the Death Watch Phase” are everywhere in the news.
There's no denying that DeSantis is giving a shaky performance. Hillary Clinton, despite her flaws, managed to win the Democratic nomination. But DeSantis doesn’t seem to possess the same charm. I wonder how long he can take the barrage of bad news until he decides to graciously step aside.
Evidently, voters aren’t looking for a corporation candidate. They'd prefer a cause, however controversial, like Donald Trump's. DeSantis' campaign seems to be missing that vital cause, consequently missing the connection with voters.
