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Ex-Trump aide Kellyanne Conway said Ron DeSantis is doing “remarkable” work as Florida governor.
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She told David Axelrod on CNN’s “The Ax Files” that he was “heading for a monstrous reelection.”
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DeSantis has emerged as one of Trump’s main potential rivals in a 2024 presidential primaries.
Former Trump White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said in a recent interview that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — a potential GOP presidential candidate in 2024 — was leading a “remarkable” job in the Sunshine State.
while speaking with former senior White House adviser David Axelrod on CNN’s “The Ax Files,” Conway commented on the tenure of one of the most talked-about potential Republican candidates as former President Donald Trump continues to lay the groundwork for a possible candidacy of his own.
“Governor DeSantis has done a remarkable job as Florida governor,” she said, adding that the former congressman is “heading for a monstrous reelection.”
In 2018, DeSantis narrowly defeated his Democratic challenger, then-Talllahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, by 0.4 percentage points, or just over 32,000 votes out of more than 8.2 million votes cast.
However, the incumbent prefers to win reelection to a second term this fall, according to Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politicswhich currently classifying the race as “probably Republican.”
Many political observers foresee DeSantis using a comfortable reelection win to launch a presidential campaign in 2024.
Conway, whose ties to Trump run deep, told Axelrod that DeSantis “has been very smart about focusing on his own reelection” and “not getting too involved in too many other races.”
However, the veteran political pollster also noted that early GOP frontrunners for past presidential races also faltered, creating a vacuum for emerging candidates who may not have been part of the early political talks.
“I love the backers. They are so successful in life. They are great men and women in the Republican Party. They are often wrong about who is next for president,” she told Axelrod.
“They went for Scott Walker, Chris Christie, everyone who was Bush, Tim Pawlenty at the time. Besides, all the people I like and respect,” she said of the former governors of Wisconsin, New Jersey and Minnesota, respectively.
“At least two of them are close personal friends with whom I speak regularly. But the basics will be the most important,” she added.
Conway addressed the issue of the governor’s comfort level among grassroots supporters, an element that is part of Trump’s entire political brand as he has continued to host “Save America” rallies across the country since he left the White House. Left home last year.
“A big test for Governor DeSantis is, ‘Does he like mixing things up in front of the people as much as he does at those press conferences?'” she said. “But he’s done a great job and he’s proven that he can go head-to-toe with the media, which is important for any Republican presidential candidate.”
“And he has also proven that he can rule in a state with a huge budget surplus, without raising taxes, which is important for many people,” she added.
Read the original article Business Insider