Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ candidacy for president was highly anticipated even before he announced that he was running. He enjoys much support from the base due to his performance while running the Sunshine State.

Many touted DeSantis as a Trumpian politician who had all of the strengths of former President Donald Trump without his weaknesses. Yet, his campaign has experienced a myriad of setbacks and has failed to capture the level of support among Republican voters that one might expect.

He is currently polling in third place, just behind former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, according to the latest RealClearPolling average.

During a conversation with Salem radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, DeSantis expressed regret about deciding only to make appearances on conservative news outlets, noting that it prevented him from reaching out to a wider swath of voters.

“I came in not really doing as much media. I should have just been blanketing,” he said, also noting that he “should have gone on all the corporate shows.”

Well, look. I mean, I think that you know presidential campaigns are a lot about media. 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. I should have just been blanketing. I should have gone on all the corporate shows. I should have gone on everything.

The governor continued, saying that his campaign “had an opportunity…to come out of the gate and do that and reach a much broader folk.”

DeSantis said that now, he will “show up wherever” and highlighted his willingness to participate in debates.

The central question at this moment is whether the candidate can reverse the downward trajectory of his campaign. While anything is possible in 2024, there is reason for doubt. DeSantis could potentially regain momentum as he campaigns in New Hampshire and South Carolina. If he begins doing more media, it certainly could not hurt.

However, even if DeSantis manages to climb back into second place, Trump’s dominance in the polls will remain an issue. As some have pointed out, the governor could do everything right from this point on and still fail to garner enough support to become the frontrunner.

The former president is still the overwhelming favorite among the Republican base and is in a position that is unique among Republican presidential candidates. Most of his policies, with the exception of COVID-19, were supported by Republican voters, so his record is favorable overall.

Moreover, Trump is currently the target of a vicious effort on the part of Democrats to use the state to prevent him from winning again in 2024. The series of politically motivated prosecutions and the effort to keep his name off the ballot using the 14^th Amendment has only galvanized support for the former president.

These factors are difficult to compete with, even for a Republican politician as loved as DeSantis is among GOP voters. At this point, there does not appear to be a path for unseating Trump as the frontrunner for any candidate.