The Washington Examiner’s Salena Zito explained that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is conveying to voters his ability to build coalitions and appeal to more than just the base.
“He has a lot of those qualities that Trump voters, conservative populists, like,” she said on America’s Newsroom on Monday.
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“Winning elections require a coalition, right? You have to build a coalition,” she added. “You can’t just have a certain part of the party. You can’t just have the base. You have to be able to bring people together to get over the finish line.”
“Obviously in a primary but also in a general election. And so I think that he is conveying that he is capable of doing that,” Zito said of the Florida governor, who has yet to announce his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election.
Zito also warned viewers to look at current polling that shows former President Donald Trump dominating in context.
“Of course he has a surge of popularity right now. You know, a lot of that has to do with — people see themselves in this situation,” she said, referencing Trump’s recent indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
According to her, things could change “as DeSantis drops in and he takes on Trump one on one — he is not doing that now because he is not running now.”
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“I am not surprised about the polls. Very similar to the polls in 2015 at this time, where you had Jeb Bush and Scott Walker ahead, and they were going at each other. Trump wasn’t in yet, so he wasn’t at the top of the polls. He didn’t come in, I think, until June, so I think we will see a lot of things moving around,” she said.
“I think we will see a better reflection of where conservatives go around Labor Day,” Zito predicted.
