If you wanted to describe DeSantis’ ideology in one short phrase, it would be “freedom for me, but not for thee.” The first part of this is libertarian, and plays well in blue states like New Hampshire; the second is reactionary, and is designed to appeal to social conservatives in red states, such as Iowa. As far as I can tell, DeSantis is trying to emphasize the first part in his campaign appearances in New Hampshire, but his war on wokeness is drowning out the pitch to libertarians. Is there anything he can do to fix this?
He needs to understand that his path to the nomination runs primarily through the blue states, and that his message should be calibrated accordingly. Trump is going to win a majority of the reactionary vote no matter what he does; trying to be crimson to Trump’s scarlet is a waste of time and money. If he has any sense, he will spend less time on wokeness and more on freedom.