Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Reflects On His 2024 Campaign: His Regrets And The Path Forward

Speaking to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, DeSantis acknowledged the significant role media plays in presidential campaigns.

"Presidential campaigns are a lot about media," DeSantis admitted. "I spent a lot of time on the ground in Iowa, and it’s good. And when you meet people, you convert them. But there’s just so many voters out there that you’ve got to do, and I came in not really doing as much media."

The 45-year-old governor further expressed his regret, stating, "I should have just been blanketing. I should have gone on all the corporate shows. I should have gone on everything."

DeSantis officially announced his presidential bid in May via a Twitter Spaces event, which was marred by technical glitches, including audio issues that left listeners unable to hear his remarks.

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January 19, 2024

By the "end of the summer" of 2023, DeSantis had increased his appearances on traditional media platforms. However, he believes he missed an opportunity to "come out of the gate" and reach a broader audience.

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In a conversation with Christian Broadcasting Network host David Brody last month, DeSantis revealed that former President Trump's legal troubles were his biggest regret of the campaign. He argued that the four criminal cases against the 45th president had "distorted the primary."

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Despite finishing a distant second in Monday’s Iowa caucus, nearly 30 points behind Trump, DeSantis remains optimistic. "Clearly, when you win Iowa by the amount he did, you know, that’s what you want to be doing if you’re going to win the nomination," he told Hewitt. "But you know, half the Iowans voted for someone else."

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DeSantis also expressed concern over the low turnout at the Iowa caucus. "The turnout was so abysmal, and I don’t think it was just the weather," he said. "I was out there. Look, I’m a Florida guy. I don’t do negative temperatures ever, and I was trudging through that."

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Despite the setback in Iowa and polls showing DeSantis with single-digit support in New Hampshire and third behind Trump and Haley in South Carolina, the Florida governor remains steadfast in his pursuit of the GOP nomination.

"If we’d won Iowa, we would have been in a great spot," he said. "You know, coming in second gives us the ticket to continue … I don’t want to be VP, I don’t want to be in the Cabinet. I don’t want a TV show. I’m in it to win it … this isn’t a vanity thing for me."

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When asked by Hewitt if he could sustain his campaign through the end of March, by which time most states will have held their presidential primaries and caucuses, DeSantis responded affirmatively: "Oh, yes on that, 100%. We can do that."

Following the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, the GOP nominating calendar continues with the Nevada caucus on February 8, followed by the South Carolina primary February 24.