Ron DeSantis established his bona fides as an anti-wokeness crusader well before the 2024 election, only to find that the reactionary base wasn’t all that interested in book bans and the response to the virus. This time, he’s clearly determined not to make the same mistake. Since illegal immigration is a major issue for the base, he came up with the idea for Alligator Alcatraz; he has followed that by attempting to dismantle Florida’s gun laws and by supporting a Second Amendment tax holiday. Will these efforts persuade the base in 2028?
The problem for DeSantis is that he is still the same querulous, charmless campaigner he was in 2024, and the base still distrusts him for challenging Trump before his time. Delivering victories for the base on issues it really cares about will help, but it probably won’t be enough.