PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — NewsChannel 5 political analyst Brian Crowley weighed in on the strengths and weaknesses of both Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump as the governor is expected to officially enter the presidential race in the next few days.
“One of the great things that Ron Desantis has going for him is that he can point to five years of success that conservatives love,” Crowley said, “and what he’s going to say is that he did it without all the drama.”
However, his main opponent in the growing Republican primary field holds the Republican crown, at least for now.
“Donald Trump, on the other hand, is loved by a significant portion of the MAGA movement,” Crowley said. “As more people enter the race, Donald Trump is counting on the idea of these [candidates] he’s going to divide those people who don’t want to see him get another term and he’s going to easily win the primaries and the caucuses.”
The pros and cons are about to increase under the harsh national spotlight.
WPTV anchor Michael Williams asked Crowley about DeSantis’ weaknesses as he heads into a national campaign.
“Ron Desantis, I think one of his flaws as a candidate is that he hasn’t engaged with the media on a regular basis. He doesn’t like to ask tough questions,” Crowley said. “He won’t be able to avoid it with the media in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. He has to win those states or he won’t be the nominee.”
Crowley told WPTV that Trump’s biggest challenge on the campaign trail is more legal trouble.
“The biggest threat to Donald Trump’s campaign is future indictments. More and more information is coming out that suggests that the indictments that may come out in Georgia, but especially the classified documents, could be so serious that he could face a possible jail time later.”
A presidential campaign is about to get underway, and Florida, as always, will help shape the political landscape in 2024.
