Ron DeSantis is telling Iowans that his vice presidential nominee wouldn’t be a “DEI sweepstakes” selection if he is the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
“But I can tell you this: I don’t think you play any type of funny business with the VP selection. I don’t think it’s about, you know, trying to satisfy the DEI sweepstakes or to do this or that,” DeSantis told supporters in Ankeny.
The Governor was asked about whether he might select Iowa’s Governor, Kim Reynolds, as a Vice Presidential nominee when he offered that insight to his process, which includes a preference for “people that have been governors” and “someone who shares your values” over someone like his frequent rhetorical target, Vice President Kamala Harris.
“You know, I think when you get it wrong, like Biden did with Harris, it can bite you. Although I’ll tell you this, you know, I was like, when he picked her, I was like, I was like, ‘Give me a break.’”
“But when you think about it, Biden obviously was the oldest President ever inaugurated in January of 2021. And having Harris, there was insurance against the 25th Amendment being invoked against him for impeachment because as bad as Biden is, nobody wants Harris for anything,” DeSantis quipped, using lines he’s used many times before.
Ironically, given that “nobody wants Harris for anything,” bettors on presidential markets rank her higher than DeSantis.
Per the Election Betting Odds website, which aggregates the Betfair, Smarkets, PredictIt and Polymarket platforms, DeSantis is given a 1.4% chance of winning the White House next November. Harris, meanwhile, is seen as a slightly better bet, with a 1.6% chance of becoming President next year.
The Florida Governor has been predicting Biden may not run and said Harris is the person most likely to replace the President on the 2024 ticket. Just as he did with Gavin Newsom, he seems to want to work a sparring match so people can see how he’d perform in a potential future General Election.
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