Former Maryland GOP Governor Larry Hogan has poured cold water on Ron DeSantis' hopes of being president, saying his campaign is one of the "worst he has ever seen" and predicting a swift end to his bid.
Hogan spoke with CBS News' Major Garrett on Wednesday and commented on DeSantis' campaign so far, and how he has handled the pressure of taking on Republican front-runner, former President Donald Trump.
Hogan said he believes DeSantis has underperformed and has essentially "dropped like a rock" in the Republican leadership race.
Trump had been regularly taking swipes at the Florida governor, even before DeSantis officially launched his campaign in May.
DeSantis has been firing back at Trump from the start, but has also faced setbacks in his fight against Disney and suffered a dip in popularity.
Earlier in June, the Florida governor's campaign criticized Trump for previously backing transgender inclusion, years before becoming president.
In an act that some claimed was retribution for Disney's opposition to the "don't say gay" bill, which bans the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in certain grades at Florida schools, DeSantis targeted the land where Disney World is situated in Orlando. His attempt to divest the company of social privileges and tax breaks ultimately failed.
"I think DeSantis has really underperformed. He started out, and we have seen this happen before in other races, as the one getting all the attention," Hogan said.
"There was wall-to-wall coverage on Fox News, he was the only one other than Trump that was really getting a lot of attention and he raised a ton of money.
"He was a fairly successful governor in a big state and got reelected and then he started making all kinds of mistakes.
"I think the campaign is one of the worst I have seen so far, and he has dropped like a rock."
Hogan went on to note that some Republican voters had considered shifting away from Trump to see what DeSantis had to offer, but were eventually turned off from the Florida governor.
In early June, DeSantis saw his approval rating drop significantly, according to online polling company Civiqs' dynamic approval rating graph.
DeSantis had a net approval rating of negative 19 points, with an average of 55 percent of respondents disapproving of him, compared to 36 percent who had a favorable view of the Republican.
"I think it is getting close to being over [for DeSantis]," Hogan said as he reflected on the governor's chances going forward.
"You can always say 'you see comebacks, John McCain pulled a comeback, Bill Clinton pulled a comeback.'
"But at this point, he is heading in the wrong direction."
On the mistakes DeSantis made during his campaign, Hogan pointed to the ongoing battle with Disney, suggested the governor doesn't connect well with people and also said he is not a good debater.
He did close by saying that DeSantis is a "smart guy," but hasn't conveyed that in his campaign and people no longer feel he is the Republican to beat.
Newsweek has contacted Ron DeSantis via email for comment.
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June 22, 2023 at 05:03PM
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Ron DeSantis Campaign 'Close to Being Over'—Ex-GOP Governor - Newsweek
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