Staff Reports
In a recent politically-infused showdown, Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley are getting heat from fellow GOP contenders for not criticizing the former President, Donald Trump, enough. Christie, who’s also aiming for the 2024 Republican White House nomination, called out Haley, DeSantis, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, saying they’re too scared to go up against Trump. Meanwhile, strapped with the lowest favorability rating among all candidates, Christie’s strategy of slamming Trump hasn’t won him any favors or votes.
As pointed out by Iowa Republican strategist David Kochel, Christie’s relentless attacks on Trump haven’t turned the tide in his favor. In fact, his voter support remains stuck in the single digits, while his favorability among Republicans is lower than a limbo stick at a beach party. Despite his fervent jibes at his opponents’ reluctance to distance themselves from Trump, Christie’s dismal popularity numbers make him about as appealing to voters as a day-old sandwich.
.@RonDeSantis and @NikkiHaley are facing GOP attacks for their failure to criticize former President Donald Trump sufficiently as they duke it out to be the sole alternative in the 2024 GOP presidential race. https://t.co/fm4HbnnI6a
— Julia Johnson (@juliaajohnson_) December 12, 2023
The conservative crowd, including DeSantis and Haley, is deliberately tiptoeing around Trump not because they lack backbone, but because they’re playing the long game. As Republican strategist Ron Bonjean hypothesized, they’re attempting to woo Trump supporters who are open to an alternative but aren’t quite ready to abandon the former president. In the latest Iowa poll, a whopping 46% of voters admitted they were still shopping around for a candidate, which gives DeSantis and Haley a glimmer of hope for snatching up some undecided Trump fans.
Sure, it’s a tough spot for DeSantis and Haley as they trail behind Trump, but recklessly bashing the man isn’t a high-reward strategy. Republican strategist Doug Heye hit the nail on the head, saying, “We don’t know if taking it to Trump would be effective; we just know that it hasn’t been tried.” DeSantis has been daring enough to call out Trump for not fulfilling his campaign promises, while Haley has been skating around the idea of Trump being a walking disaster without fully committing to any pointed attacks.
So, with the 2024 primary race becoming more intense than a hot sauce-eating contest, DeSantis and Haley might soon choose to draw sharper contrasts with Trump as they vie for the coveted alternative candidate spot. With all the mud-slinging and political tightrope-walking, it looks like the conservative nomination showdown is about to get more colorful than a crayon factory explosion.
