America Would Benefit Most, But What About In The GOP Primary?
Let’s just say Trump drops out, for whatever reason; I don’t think I have to reiterate to any DWT reader what my choice would be. So he’s no longer in the race. What happens to the primary? Right now Nikki Haley has all the momentum and what’s his name from Florida has been sinking… although that crooked evangelical in Iowa, Vander Plaats, who hates Trump, endorsed him. And so did the Iowa governor. So you can’t exactly count him out.
The latest poll was from Emerson— a non-partisan outfit— and they Haley had finally overtaken DeSantis with GOP primary voters nationally— 9% to 8%. But national polling doesn’t really matter at this point in the horserace. Early states matter because they set the tone for the later states, especially when we’re talking about zombie voters that dominate GOP primaries. DeSantis is ahead in Iowa 17.3% to 14.3%. Haley is ahead in New Hampshire 18.7% to 7.7% (with Christie ahead of DeSantis as well— with 11.3%). South Carolina— where Haley is surging big time... into Trump-like territory— is next with Haley ahead 18.8% to 10.5%.
The biggest fish in the money game, the Koch network just came in for Haley, while DeSantis' outside money campaign is in disarray and struggling to stay afloat.
DeSantis’ campaign has been largely run by his Dark Money superPAC, Never Back Down but they’re in turmoil and the whole DeSantis money operation, bloody from internal infighting and non-stop failure, is barely stayin' alive. The new SuperPAC DeSantis is hoping will turn his mess of a campaign around, Fight Right, is now in control of all TV advertising now. DeSantis campaign manager tried smoothing the covers— “In the final push for the Iowa Caucus victory, this campaign will proudly fight alongside NBD’s impressive ground game, and Fight Right’s television team, to show the people of Iowa that this is a time for choosing.”
This morning, the Washington Post reported that “The memo comes as infighting between top DeSantis allies has spilled into public view— and as DeSantis’s campaign continues to struggle to gain momentum. While campaigns are limited by federal law to raising no more than $3,300 from individuals for the primary race, super PACs have no such restrictions. However, super PACs are legally prohibited from coordinating with the campaigns they back on strategy. [DeSantis would be rotting in prison if anyone policed that prohibition. No presidential campaign in history has ever seen the degree of coordination between his campaign and his SuperPAC— including illegally giving Never Back Down over $80 million from DeSantis’ gubernatorial campaign.] DeSantis allies created Fight Right earlier this month. Never Back Down’s board members were divided over a decision to transfer money to fund the new pro-DeSantis group.”
All Fight Right has done is savage Nikki Haley in Iowa TV ads, which have largely backfired and made DeSantis look like a slob. Meanwhile the head of the sleazy Never Back Down SuperPAC, Chris Jankowski, bitterly quit the campaign “saying the environment had become ‘untenable’ for him and that the problems were ‘well beyond a difference of strategic opinion.’” On Monday, DeSantis is meeting is meeting with GOP fat cats in Palm Beach to tell them to donate to Fight Right, whose directors are top[ DeSantis adviser David Dewhirst and DeSantis’ closest shady lobbyist Scott Ross.
Meanwhile, as gloomy as things are for DeSantis— in the race to be #2— everything has been taking off for Haley, who is certainly favored by the establishment media over DeSantis… and Trump. Serious polling also shows she would have the best chance to beat Biden, something serious donors care about… a lot. And that’s why the Koch network, which would like to beat both Trump and Biden, weighed in today. Americans for Prosperity Action’s SuperPAC announced it “is proud to throw our full support behind Nikki Haley, who offers America the opportunity to turn the page on the current political era, to win the Republican primary and defeat Joe Biden next November. Haley will have the full weight and scope of AFP Action’s unmatched grassroots army and resources to help her earn the support of Americans to become the next President of the United States of America.”
DeSantis, who had courted Koch assiduously, was all sour grapes when they rejected him, His campaign statement: “Every dollar spent on Nikki Haley’s candidacy should be reported as an in-kind to the Trump campaign. No one has a stronger record of beating the establishment than Ron DeSantis, and this time will be no different.”
Trump was too busy on his failed social media site attacking Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds to go over the Koch yesterday. I’m sure that will be coming soon.
The problem for Haley if Trump dies, though, is the MAGAts. She’s not exactly their cup of tea. DeSantis— basically a duller, witless version of Trump— might be. He's not entertaining, but if they're looking for a cruel asshole-- he's certainly their guy. Trump has poisoned the atmosphere against both of them, but for every negative thing he’s said about Haley, he’s said more than 10 about DeSantis. Will it matter in the tiny MAGAt brain if Trump is removed from contention? Let’s clasp our hands in the shape of a steeple and hope we find out.