Ron DeSantis is in trouble

| 12:00 pm EST November 5, 2018
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Ron DeSantis has a problem, and we’re not just talking about the fact that he’s a failed former Congressman and crappy candidate for Governor who can’t hide his incompetence and racism. We’re not talking about the polls, though most of them suggest he’s behind. And we’re not even talking about the fact that his opponent Andrew Gillum has become a nationwide sensation. No, we’re talking about something that just came from DeSantis’ mouth.

Yesterday, Ron DeSantis held a political rally in the decent-sized city of Daytona, Florida. He even brought in some outside help, as Rudy Giuliani and outgoing Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi were special guests. It’s not that either of those guests is a major draw. But you’d have expected some kind of turnout. Not so much.

DeSantis posted a tweet last night thanking his “hundreds of supporters” who showed up to the Daytona rally. Wait, hundreds? In a statewide race? On a weekend? Just before election day? In one of the most high profile races for Governor in the nation? Andrew Gillum keeps drawing thousands of people to his rallies, and we’re not just talking about the one where President Obama showed up.

As Palmer Report has pointed out plenty of times in the past, rally crowd size is not strictly an indictor of who’s going to win. Wendell Willkie routinely outdrew Franklin Roosevelt in the 1944 presidential election, and Willkie ended up losing by millions of votes. But if Ron DeSantis is drawing crowds this meager, he’s in trouble. Of course all that matters is who shows up to vote and who doesn’t.