Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast
Whoever said, “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing,” never ran against Donald Trump in a Republican primary.
Ron DeSantis may learn this lesson soon enough. While speaking at the Basque Fry, a barbecue fundraiser in the early caucus state of Nevada this past weekend, the Florida governor signaled his belief that the electability argument will resonate. DeSantis reiterated that “We’ve developed a culture of losing in this party,” adding, “You’re not going to get a mulligan on the 2024 election.”
For those keeping score, this is part of his stump speech. DeSantis used the same phrase last month in Iowa. And when Trump and his supporters were mocking DeSantis for not knowing how to pronounce his own name, DeSantis said it was pronounced “Winner.”