Views & Opinions: Is Ron DeSantis the next Scott Walker?

View Online  Views & Opinions Views & Opinions One Key Op-ed  Is Ron DeSantis flaming out? You may recall the last Republican governor to flame out after enjoying a period as the party's brightest rising star. He was young, popular and unafraid to fight the cultural battles that many Republicans shied away from.   His name was Scott Walker. And for a brief moment during the 2016 campaign, he was seen as the frontrunner to capture the Republican nomination for president.   Political consultant Doug Schoen asks: "Is Ron DeSantis the next Scott Walker?" © AP DeSantis was once seen as a serious threat to Donald Trump's candidacy, but his polls have tanked over the last couple of months, causing strife within his campaign.   Schoen writes: "DeSantis's campaign is reportedly short on cash, firing staff, shaking up key leadership positions and failing to court small donors, indicating a lack of voter enthusiasm."   The Florida governor has rebooted his campaign. He's engaging more with the mainstream media and doing more retail politicking. But that won't help DeSantis with his main problem, says Schoen, which is that he's just not very charismatic.   "He's described by his own donors and Republican insiders as 'reserved and dry' as well as 'arrogant' and 'awkward.'"   And though DeSantis's anti-wokeness crusade may be popular with GOP primary voters, it's not their top concern. Schoen cites a poll showing that "84 percent of Republican primary voters say economic issues — which DeSantis often sidesteps — are 'very important' when deciding whom to vote for, while only 51 percent said the same of 'fighting woke ideology.'"     Schoen thinks DeSantis still has time to right the ship and make a serious run for the nomination, but only if he can run "an intensive ground game to turn out conservative voters in early primary contests."   Yet, he suspects a Scott Walker-style flameout is the most probably outcome.   Read the op-ed at TheHill.com. Welcome to The Hill's Views & Opinions newsletter, it's Tuesday, July 25. I'm Daniel Allott, bringing together a collection of key opinion pieces published from a wide range of voices. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Other Points of View  Op-eds exploring key issues affecting the U.S. and world: The GOP is rushing headlong into huge election losses in 2024 By Jim Jones, former attorney general of Idaho In the event that Trump's problems continue to mount and one of his opponents manages to find the courage to actually run against him, the Republicans will still have a heartbreaking election. If Trump loses his quest for the nomination, it is extremely unlikely that he will retire from the stage to lick his wounds. He has demonstrated exactly what he would do — loudly claim election fraud and act as a spoiler for whoever receives the nomination.   Read Here California enhanced diversity without affirmative action. Here's how By Erwin Chemerinsky, dean at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law What can be learned from the California experience? To begin with, it is essential that schools remain committed to achieving diversity. The Supreme Court's ruling was about the means that schools can use to achieve diversity, specifically whether a preference can be given in admission to students of color. The court held that schools cannot do this, but that does not preclude them from continuing to pursue diversity in other ways that are constitutionally permissible.   Read Here China's economy is spiraling: Will war be Xi's distraction? By Gordon Chang, author of "The Coming Collapse of China" Many think war is inconceivable. Soon, Chinese President Xi Jinping will have even more internal reasons to launch one, however. The problems building up inside China are too great.   Read Here The book ban backlash has arrived just in time to mobilize voters By Svante Myrick, president of People For the American Way If the only people voting in 2024 were going to be Republican primary voters, being pro-censorship might be a winner. But they won't be. And for everybody else, other topics are top of mind, including a perennial leader — the economy — and the new and very serious issue of threats to democracy.    Read Here Quick Takes  Opinions related to pivotal issues and figures in the news: How the Pentagon can change its 'culture of obstruction' Ukraine could win but still become a failed state Is 'ungrateful' Zelensky losing his luster? UFOs are not the only potential threat in American skies   You're all caught up. See you next time!  Views expressed by contributors are theirs and not the opinion of The Hill. Interested in submitting an op-ed? Click here.  Check out The Hill's Opinion section online for the latest and take a moment to view our other topical products 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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