Florida’s Governor is looking to a former California Governor as an antecedent for his current presidential run.
During an interview on Wisconsin’s Mark Belling Show, Ron DeSantis suggested his candidacy could be the modern version of the 1980 election that saw Ronald Reagan defeat Democrat Jimmy Carter.
“What I would just tell folks out there listening is Biden is kind of like Jimmy Carter. When Reagan came on the scene, the country lost confidence in Carter. They were willing to go in a different direction. I think we’re in the same place with Biden,” DeSantis contended.
“And I think if we offer a candidate like me who has a record of achievement and a positive vision, I think these voters are going to get behind us in ways that are probably bigger than we’ve seen in the last 20 or 25 years as Republicans. You know, we’ve only won the popular vote as Republicans one time for President since we got 50% of the popular vote one time since 1988,” DeSantis continued. “We typically lose the popular vote to the Democrats even when we win the Electoral College.”
Reagan did indeed get a majority of the popular vote (50.7%) against Carter, independent candidate John Anderson, and a host of less heralded candidates including Libertarian Ed Clark, Citizens Party nominee Barry Commoner, and Communist Gus Hall. The Republican dominated the Electoral College count, meanwhile, winning 489 to 49.
“The situation is right. We just have to capitalize,” DeSantis assured Belling.
If the General Election were held today, however, polling suggests DeSantis would fall short of the majority. The Race to the White House average of a Biden vs. DeSantis trial heat shows the President ahead, 43% to 41%, with 16% unsure.
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