Former president Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are frequently contrasted. DeSantis, though, has much more in common with two other former front-runners for the GOP nomination for president in 2024: former governors Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Chris Christie of New Jersey. Walker and Christie previously appeared to be the front-runners for the presidency, much like DeSantis.
When it came to actually running for president, the two men took very different decisions. Christie let his opportunity pass, whereas Walker made the most of it. Both fell short. Their tales offer a glimpse into what might occur to DeSantis as well, depending on whether he decides to seek for the GOP nomination in 2024 or wait until 2028. Mike DuHaime, CEO of MAD Global and advisor to Christie’s 2016 presidential campaign, told Insider that timing is crucial. “He’s now in a good place. Running is a terrific thing to do when you’re feeling good. The most crucial and least under your control aspect of politics is timing.”
When Barack Obama was in office, Walker became a favourite of the right. He rose to national prominence similarly to DeSantis by provoking disputes with important Democratic friends. Walker, however, never even reached the voting stage because of the disastrous nature of his campaign. Additionally, he would lose his bid for a third term in Wisconsin in 2018. Christie was loud, populist, and possessed a sizable personality. It turned out that 2016 voters actually want these qualities in a president. But a particular reality TV celebrity also possessed these traits, but in far greater numbers.
Christie might have been in the Oval Office instead of Trump if he had run in 2012, when he was having a moment. Instead, he refused to run, despite the fact that powerful Iowa Republicans practically came to New Jersey to urge him to do so.
