David Axelrod shared his expectations for the first Republican primary debate coming on Wednesday, saying one candidate, in particular, is in “jeopardy.”
The former adviser to Barrack Obama appeared on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday to say that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) stands to lose the most out of the debate. It will be hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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“I think DeSantis is the guy who is in most jeopardy here. He started off – his whole candidacy was premised on, he was the alternative to Trump,” Axelrod said. “[DeSantis has] been doing nothing but sinking since he became a candidate. And now he’s in jeopardy of losing that distinction as being Trump’s principal challenger.”
Axelrod went on to say that DeSantis’s current position will open a door of “opportunity for everybody else on the stage.”
DeSantis is currently the front-runner behind former President Donald Trump, who confirmed Sunday he will not appear at the debate. The former president has refused to sign a pledge to support the eventual nominee.
Scott Jennings, former adviser to President George W. Bush and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), made a similar sentiment the day before, claiming “everybody on that stage wants to replace Ron DeSantis as the front-runner of the non-Trump candidate.” Axelrod previously predicted that all the other candidates will “hammer” on the Florida governor.
“I have said from the beginning that Trump would be nuts to show up. He’s got a gargantuan lead,” Axelrod said. “DeSantis said the other day that his followers — he implied that Trump’s followers were like listless vessels.”
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Besides DeSantis and Trump, the remaining candidates include former New Jersey Gov. Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, political commentator Larry Elder, businessman Perry Johnson, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. DeSantis, Ramaswamy, Burgum, Haley, and Scott have qualified for the debate and signed the loyalty pledge, while Pence, Hutchinson, and Christie have said they will also sign it.
In order to qualify for the debate, candidates must be polling at a minimum of 1% and have at least 40,000 individual donations to their campaign. Candidates have until Monday to qualify.
