DeSantis in the hot seat at first Republican presidential debate
By Nathan Layne
(Reuters) -Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to be the biggest target of his Republican rivals for the 2024 U.S. presidential nomination at Wednesday's first primary debate, after front-runner Donald Trump opted to skip the event.
DeSantis is among eight Republican hopefuls set to be on stage at the Fiserv (NYSE:FI) Forum in Milwaukee with one glaring exception. The former president, who holds a strong lead in opinion polls, instead sat for a pre-recorded interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, due to air at 9 p.m. ET (0100 GMT) just as the debate begins, potentially siphoning off viewers.
With Trump absent, Republican candidates including tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamay and U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, who have enjoyed a bump in some state and national polls in recent weeks, will be looking to displace DeSantis as the most plausible Trump alternative.
«He's going to be a punching bag,» said Brian Darling, a Republican strategist and former senior aide to U.S. Senator Rand Paul. «DeSantis is considered a wounded candidate going the wrong way.»
DeSantis, for his part, will be looking to draw a line under a slow but steady slide in the polls this summer. Aides and allies view the debate as a high-stakes opportunity to shift the narrative away from turmoil that has gripped his campaign in recent weeks, including a significant staffing shake-up, and to introduce the governor to millions of voters who have yet to tune into the primary process.
«From the campaign's perspective, he's going to be center stage. Everyone on stage is going to be shooting at him,» said one person close to DeSantis, who was granted anonymity to discuss internal campaign dynamics. «He doesn't
Read more on investing.com
