Americans were shocked when John Fetterman emerged as the victor in the 2022 Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race.
No one expected him to win and fewer expected he could impact the 2024 GOP Presidential race.
But now John Fetterman may have suddenly become a problem for Donald Trump.
Donald Trump is attempting to score a first-round knockout of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by kneecapping him before he even officially jumps in the race.
Thus far, Trump’s strategy has not worked, as DeSantis is still on track to announce his candidacy.
Trump has his diehard fan base that will never abandon him, but DeSantis has some room to pick up Republicans who could be persuaded one way or the other.
Even Trump supporters in the pivotal swing state of Pennsylvania are willing to give DeSantis a try.
Trump vs. DeSantis is heating up in Pennsylvania
Reporter Salena Zito – who is a columnist as well as a reporter for both the New York Post and the Washington Examiner, among others – traveled to Bucks County, Pennsylvania to speak with Trump voters, and she found that some are open to a DeSantis candidacy.
Richard Tems, a local businessman and GOP committeeman, told Zito that he plans to vote for DeSantis in the Republican primary.
“Why? Well, because DeSantis has done a brilliant job in Florida. He took a tiny little victory the first time, and he turned that state dark red by implementing good conservative policies. He brought in the right kind of people, and he turned that state from being purple, or occasionally blue, to very red,” Tems explained.
Even though Trump has recently downplayed DeSantis’s success in Florida, he won re-election by an eye-popping 19 points, and the Republicans took 62 of the 67 counties.
That’s in stark contrast to Trump’s performance in Pennsylvania.
After carrying the Keystone State in 2016 Trump , amid much controversy, not only lost Pennsylvania to Joe Biden in 2020, but as de facto leader of the Republican Party going into the 2022 Midterms also saw his reputation take a big hit in Pennsylvania with Democrat John Fetterman topping Trump-backed TV Doctor Mehmet Oz, despite Fetterman suffering a debilitating stroke on the campaign trail.
Tems added, “It’s not just that he won — it’s that he changed the state and what people think is the way it should be run…That’s why I believe he would be a better president than Trump…The problem I had with President Trump is he was lousy at staff…They were backfighting, leaking, all having their own agendas, and he kept getting in the way of his own great successes. It was just horrible.”
Trump had to deal with a hostile GOP establishment, which sabotaged him every step of the way, but many of his disastrous picks were of his own doing.
Carol Sides of Lycoming County told Zito, “It’s just that I like both of them…I like my association with Trump and with his family. They were fun years, to say the least. But then, with DeSantis coming up and reading everything that he’s doing for Florida. I mean, he’s unbelievable for his age and his background. I think that he did a wonderful job there, and he is a gentleman beyond words, so I am undecided.”
Trump’s attacks on DeSantis have not gone over terribly well at his rallies; he normally gets a big pop when he rags on his competitors.
The battle for the nomination should be incredibly compelling.
Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story.
