-
Supporters of Herschel Walker have suggested that DeSantis would be more useful in the campaign than Trump.
-
Mr. Trump’s candidate did poorly in the midterms, but DeSantis easily won a second term.
-
One Republican activist said DeSantis was “better suited to flexible Republicans and suburban independents.”
Supporters of Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker suggest Florida governor Ron DeSantis might be better off campaigning than former President Donald Trump, CNN reports say.
Walker will have a runoff with incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock in December. Because both failed to secure more than 50% of the vote for him.
While many pro-Trump candidates lost or underperformed in the midterms, his rival DeSantis easily won a second term in Florida.
Republicans in Georgia, in particular, fear Trump will alienate suburban women and independents.
Ralph Reed, president of the Conservative Coalition of Faith and Freedom, told CNN, “Yankins and DeSantis are better suited to the flexible Republicans and suburban independents that we need to uncover. I think there is,” he said.
Reid added that he did not speak for Walker’s campaign, and perhaps Trump could appeal to voters in rural Georgia.
Related video: How Ron DeSantis rose to the top of the Republican Party
According to CNN, Trump helped win and endorse Walker, but some Republicans are skeptical that he will win the election, especially remembering Democrats’ two wins in the 2021 runoff in Georgia. I am worried that it will interfere with my exercise.
During those campaigns, Trump campaigned in Georgia, lashing out at the state’s electoral system, alleging without evidence that the state had voter fraud in the 2020 election.
While the merits of Trump’s presence are debated, state Republicans feel DeSantis’ endorsement will be a huge boost, according to the report.
A person close to Walker’s campaign noted that DeSantis did not campaign for Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, while the governor of Florida said, “If we can get him, it’s going to be a big draw.” CNN reported that he said.
Eric Erickson, a Georgia-based conservative radio host who endorsed Trump in 2020, told CNN that support from DeSantis would be more helpful in Georgia.
“The number one question I’ve been getting since Tuesday night is ‘Is Trump going to screw this up?'” he said. “DeSantis will help. Youngkin will help. Kemp will help. I think those are Georgia’s biggest ties.”
A Republican familiar with the matter told CNN that DeSantis will decide whether or not to campaign for Walker depending on what happens in the Senate elections in Arizona and Nevada.
“At that point, it becomes the center of the political world,” the person said, once control of the Senate moved to Georgia.
But Trump’s allies told CNN that it would be difficult to convince the former president to stay out of the Georgia campaign if rival DeSantis was involved.
In recent days, Trump has been lashing out at DeSantis, with the governor praising his victory while Trump has been criticized for the Republican party’s lackluster results.
Some Republicans worry that Trump’s imminent announcement of his 2024 candidacy, as widely expected, will distract him from the potentially important Georgia race. said CNN.
Read the original article on Business Insider