The Horse Race: Despite the Polls, It's Too Early to Count DeSantis Out among New Hampshire's 'Notorious Political Daters'

with Brittany Bernstein

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Despite the Polls, It's Too Early to Count DeSantis Out among New Hampshire's 'Notorious Political Daters'

A new Saint Anselm College poll finds Ron DeSantis trailing Donald Trump by 28 points in New Hampshire after having fallen ten points since March, but Granite State political observers say it's too early to count the governor out.

"I think it's a little early to call New Hampshire and some of the doomsaying about DeSantis I think is a bit premature," said Dante Scala, a professor of politics at the University of New Hampshire.

"It's no question though that Trump [has continued to attract] Republican voters here and nationally," he added. "You can't discount that. He's the one to beat. But I do think there's something to be said for the fact that it takes New Hampshire voters a long time to make up their minds. They may be parked with Trump right now, but it's possible that . . . they might not be there — not all of them — when it is all said and done."

DeSantis's camp painted an optimistic view of its chances in New Hampshire this week as the Florida governor made his second swing through the state.

"We are confident that the governor's message will resonate with voters in New Hampshire as he continues to visit the Granite State and detail his solutions to Joe Biden's failures," DeSantis spokesman Bryan Griffin told the New York Times.

Members of both the Trump and DeSantis campaigns told the outlet they've set their sights on New Hampshire with the expectation that the state could offer an early chance to clear the crowded Republican field.

"Iowa's cornfields used to be where campaigns were killed off, and now New Hampshire is where campaigns go to die," said Jeff Roe, the chief strategist for DeSantis's Never Back Down PAC.

New Hampshire house majority leader Jason Osborne, who has endorsed DeSantis, said this week: "People who are talking like this fight is over know nothing about New Hampshire politics or actual primary voters. Stop reading the national press. Come knock on some doors."