Trailing Trump, DeSantis still bears burdens that have brought down past front-runners
It may seem odd to describe a presidential candidate as a front-runner when a rival candidate is outpolling him by more than 2 to 1.
But that's what Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis faces in the 2024 election cycle. He is decidedly an underdog to former President Donald Trump in all recent polls. Yet he is just as clearly the leading alternative to Trump, should Republicans find they need one – or decide they want one.
In the unique circumstances of the 2024 presidential cycle, that makes DeSantis a species of front-runner, de facto — because the gap between him and his closest competition in the GOP is nearly as great as the gap between him and Trump.
If his current poll standing makes him the first choice of just one Republican in four, he is still the choice of half the party. The – Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Asa
