Considered the party’s rising star, de Sandys, 44, won a landslide victory last November and was re-elected 20 points ahead of his opponent despite his rivalry with Trump. The governor has earned his reputation by challenging the COVID-19 containment policy by ending quarantines and mandatory vaccinations. In last year’s midterm elections, many of the candidates Trump supported failed to get elected. The Trump-De Sandy rivalry appeared to be in favor of the Florida governor, with many voters then voting for him as a politically viable alternative to Trump, according to a Financial Times article.

Today, however, Trump, 76, has emerged as the clear favorite for the nomination, with party voters rallying around the former president. According to the latest Real Clear Politics poll, Trump is supported by 56% of Republican voters. De Sandys is in second place with less than 20%.

Analysts say the polls reflect the growing efficiency and discipline that has marked Trump’s campaign and the resonance of his vehement attacks on DeSandis. “After a five-month tour – with a steady downward trend – everything points to the moralist Ron de Sandys finally getting into the race. He has no hope while our movement never forgets,” Trump wrote Friday on the social media app Truth Social.

“Trump shoots back and forth. “His dominance of the DeSandy campaign is absolute,” said Ford O’Connell, the Florida GOP spokesman. The governor chose not to formally announce his candidacy until after the closing of the state legislature, only speaking in public to promote his book Freedom Takes Courage.

These speeches were received with mixed feelings by voters. Some have pushed for DeSandis to drop the topic of his speeches, in which he lists his accomplishments as governor of Florida, and spend more time “shaking hands and kissing babies” while addressing the grassroots. This will prove critical in ambivalent states like Iowa and New Hampshire, whose residents have few common ground and little in common with the candidates.

The aggravation of the rhetoric of the governor of Florida, lagging behind Trump in popularity, causes hesitation among party donors.

At the same time, the toughening of De Sandys’ rhetoric raises doubts among some of the party’s big sponsors. Some of them questioned in private debate his views on social and cultural issues, such as the legal ban on abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy, which he promoted.

Thomas Peterfay, a major Republican donor and founder of Interactive Brokers, said last month that he had suspended his donations to the De Sandy campaign in part because of the governor’s stance on abortion. Ken Griffin, founder of hedge fund Citadel, has also reportedly “frozen” his support for DeSandis.

Against Disney

The governor has also come under fire from Republicans for his ideological conflict with Disney over Disney’s support for the gay movement. However, many of the party’s big donors support DeSandis and are set to take part in Friday’s campaign fundraiser in Miami. De Sandys is expected to file his nomination papers with the Federal Election Commission no later than Friday’s event.

However, analysts warn that if de Sandys fails to bridge the gap separating him from Trump in the polls, his chances will be greatly reduced.