As we reported on Thursday, multiple credible sources now say Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to file paperwork declaring his 2024 presidential candidacy on May 25, with a more formal launch the week of May 29. Moreover, DeSantis all but declared his candidacy on Wednesday in a private call with top donors.

During the call, DeSantis not only took his most direct shots yet at former President Donald Trump; he also told donors there are only three “credible” candidates in the race (one of them himself) and that only he could win both the Republican primary and the general election, as reported by The New York Times.

You have basically three people at this point that are credible in this whole thing — Biden, Trump, and me. And I think of those three, two have a chance to get elected president — Biden and me, based on all the data in the swing states, which is not great for the former president and probably insurmountable because people aren’t going to change their view of him.

It should be noted that DeSantis gave an assessment of the 2024 presidential race, as he sees it, rather than launch into an ad hominem attack against the former president.

Here’s more, via The Times:

The call, to which a New York Times reporter listened, came as the governor is expected to officially enter the presidential race next week, according to three people familiar with his intentions.

[…]

[DeSantis] said the attitude of Republican voters amounted to, “We’ve got to win this time.” And while he praised Mr. Trump’s policies, he said that Mr. Biden had undone many of them.

[…]

He did not take questions and was the only person who spoke on the call. But he suggested that his ability to respond to what he described as months of attacks would soon change, a veiled reference to becoming a candidate.

“When we say we’re going to do something, we do it, and get it done,” Mr. DeSantis said of his approach in the state, an indirect contrast with Mr. Trump, whom some Republicans have criticized for unfinished work when he was president.

DeSantis drew a contrast between the media and everyday Republican voters:

The corporate media wants Trump to be the nominee.

Is DeSantis right? If not, then why have the liberal media sock puppets pivoted to blasting the popular Florida governor even more than blasting Trump (which of course is the result of TDS)? Clearly, the lapdog media is now more afraid of DeSantis winning the Republican nomination.

DeSantis then quoted an Iowa voter he talked to at a recent campaign event in the Hawkeye State:

You know, Trump was somebody, we liked his policies but we didn’t like his values. And with you, we like your policies but also know that you share our values.

As my colleague Sister Toldjah reported in April in an in-depth article titled Analysis: An All-Too-Predictable Turning Point Arrives in Media’s Trump vs. DeSantis Wargaming:

It has often been said that the media will tell you which candidate they fear the most by the level of over-the-top coverage they throw in their direction, and that has certainly proved to be true over the last several presidential election cycles with 2016 and 2020 being notable examples.

[…]

Not even a year ago, we were getting a barrage of “DeSantis is even more horrible and dangerous than Trump!” stories from the usual corners, basically informing us that neither of them were fit for office but that DeSantis would be even worse or something because he in their view was like Trump “without the baggage.”

But in an all-too-predictable turn, some in the media are now picking sides in the DeSantis vs. Trump debate, and it shouldn’t shock too many people to know that the side they’ve picked is Trump’s, who we were reliably told for five or so years was the most disturbingly serious threat to the freedom of the press that we had ever seen.

Sister Toldjah was right, and if my political instincts are correct, the sock-puppet media will soon be all over DeSantis like left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore all over a bag of McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese and a large order of fries.

While Republican voters who favor Trump over DeSantis make a valid point as it relates to the former president’s substantial lead over the Florida governor in many polls, it’s worth stating the obvious: Republicans won’t be the only voters in 2024. And while a majority of Democrat voters might prefer a nominee other than Biden, they sure as hell prefer Biden to Trump, and will be just as fired up as Trump supporters.

The Bottom Line

Presidential elections are generally won in the middle of the field (as in close to the 50-yard line).

For argument’s sake, let’s assume the 2024 election will be decided between the 45-yard lines, which is usually a reasonable assumption. As has historically been the case, independent voters and “fence-leaders” will be critical to the final results — as will voters who stay home.

Hence it would be wise for Republican voters to nominate the candidate they most believe has the best chance — all things considered, including “anyone but” votes — to win the election.

All of that said, regardless of which GOP candidate wins the nomination (and this is probably wishful thinking) every registered Republican in the country should show up and vote Joe Biden and his radical-left handlers the hell out of the White House.