The Epoch Times ByÂ
There was a time when the polling gap between Ron DeSantis and the rest of the field was far wider than the one separating the Florida governor from the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican presidential race, former President Donald Trump.
In fact, nine months ago, Mr. DeSantis appeared poised to be the GOPâs standard-bearer in challenging Democrat President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5, 2024, general election.
His relative youth in context to the octogenarian incumbentâas well as compared to Mr. Trump, who would turn 80 in a second termâand landslide reelection in a formerly purple state, the highlight of an otherwise disappointing 2022 midterms for Republicans nationwide, spurred his December-January surge in polling that put Mr. DeSantis within percentage points of Mr. Trump in what was shaping up as a two-candidate race…
