Ron DeSantis is nearing a 2024 launch, and central to his case will be the argument that Donald Trump can't win.
That was the message he put forth on a call to donors organized by his Never Back Down super PAC Thursday.
"You have basically three people at this point that are credible in this whole thing," Mr. DeSantis told donors, as reported by The New York Times.
"Joe Biden, Trump and me. And I think of those three, two have a chance to get elected President — Biden and me, based on all the data in the swing states, which is not great for the former President and probably insurmountable because people aren't going to change their view of him."
DeSantis' argument rests in battleground state polls that have shown him consistently outperforming the former President in head-to-head matchups against Biden. These include April surveys from Public Opinion Strategies in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Wisconsin.
The reporting of the donor call is a teaser for even more action from DeSantis later this month, including a formal launch of his campaign, reported to be May 25. DeSantis is expected to file paperwork and formally launch in Dunedin, the Gulf Coast community where he grew up.
The Governor is also expected to meet with donors next week in Miami, with those supporters, in turn, soliciting more financial support for the 2024 operation.
DeSantis is amassing endorsements already, including from 99 Republican members of the Florida Legislature, 51 among New Hampshire elected officials, and three dozen endorsements from Iowa legislators.
Yet the major problem for DeSantis may be that at least half of Republican voters want Trump, while less than a quarter want DeSantis, at least according to polling averages.
The RealClearPolitics (RCP) polling average pegs DeSantis at just under 20% support in the 2024 Republican Primary field, with Trump at 57%.
The FiveThirtyEight polling average has DeSantis at just over 21%, with Trump still holding majority support at 53%.
The Race to the White House average is more forgiving to the Florida Governor. Trump only musters 53% support in that model, with DeSantis' nearly 22% standing as the best of the three major averages.
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