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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
These could be some of the reasons DeSantis hasn't announced a presidential run (yet)
In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis won reelection by a wide margin2, reinforcing his position as a strong contender for the party's presidential nomination3 in 2024.
But DeSantis isn't showing signs that he is ready to officially announce his candidacy. He says he's focused on being governor and dismisses questions about presidential ambitions.
But for anyone who looks, there are some obvious signs that he's preparing to run. He has an autobiography4 titled The Courage to Be Free due to be released early next year. The publisher's press release says it is the story of a governor who, "has fought—and won—battle after battle, defeating not just opposition5 from the political left, but a barrage6 of hostile media coverage7 proclaiming the end of the world."
DeSantis raised more than $200 million for his reelection for governor, including $10 million in a single donation from a Las Vegas real estate developer, much more than he needed. He currently has at least $90 million in the bank and is still fundraising. His immense campaign fund helped him beat his Democratic challenger, Charlie Crist, by nearly 20 points.
At a recent news conference, DeSantis said, "We really showed, I think, how it's done in the state of Florida," and went on to say he received the highest percentage of the vote for a GOP governor in the history of Florida. Actually, Florida's first Republican governor, Harrison Reed, was elected by a wider margin during the Reconstruction8 era. But DeSantis' overwhelming victory sent a strong signal that Florida, once considered the nation's largest swing state, is now firmly in the Republican column.
Republican media consultant9 Giancarlo Sopo says DeSantis' commanding victory strengthens his appeal. "He knows how to really excite Republican voters while also drawing independents and moderate Democrats10 into the party," Sopo says. Others point to a lackluster turnout by Democrats as a major factor in DeSantis' big margin of victory.
Here are some of the possible reasons why DeSantis hasn't announced a run for president, yet:
Reason 1
If DeSantis decides to run for president while remaining governor, it will likely require a change to Florida law. Florida currently says state officeholders must resign their positions if they run for a federal office. But Republican lawmakers, including state Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, say don't worry about the law — the legislature will repeal11 it. "When you think about it," Passidomo recently told reporters, "if an individual who ... is a Florida governor is running for president, he should be allowed to do it."
As a possible Republican presidential candidate, DeSantis has a strong conservative track record. He tapped into public frustrations12 with COVID-19 and led the fight against vaccine13 and mask mandates14. He's promoted "parental15 rights" and signed into law restrictions16 on how race, sexual orientation17 and gender18 identity are discussed in the schools. He also approved a law banning abortions19 after 15 weeks.
Those policies have made him a regular on Fox News, boosting his name recognition among Republican voters nationally. Some recent polls show him more popular with Republicans than Donald Trump20. Trump, who's already announced he's running, has noticed. He's said it would be a "mistake" for DeSantis to enter the race. He's already tried out an attack line, labeling him Ron "DeSanctimonious."
DeSantis has largely avoided commenting on the attacks, dismissing them at one news conference as "just noise." He rarely mentions the former president now, a far cry from his last election when he ran a campaign ad in which he read Trump's Art of the Deal to his infant son.
"He wants to be kind of the Trump policy without all of the unhinged commentary and Twitter warfare21 and personal attacks," says University of North Florida political scientist Michael Binder22. DeSantis is very much interested in Trump's supporters, Binder says, "and I think he's found himself a very nice niche23 there."
Reason 2
Binder expects DeSantis won't officially enter the Republican presidential contest anytime soon. One reason is that as he soon as he does, it will likely spark open warfare with Trump. As governor, DeSantis can largely ignore Trump while also talking to donors24 and traveling to states with early 2024 primaries.
University of Florida political scientist Michael McDonald says he sees DeSantis focusing on issues, not personal attacks — taking a page from the guy who beat Trump. "It was 'Sleepy Joe,' " McDonald says, using Trump's nickname for the president. "And DeSantis in some ways is fashioning himself out of the ... mold of Sleepy Joe Biden, somebody who's not throwing firebombs, someone who's just more focused on policy."
As a popular governor in the third-largest state, DeSantis has a lot going for him. But running for president would put him in the spotlight25. And University of North Florida's Binder says there are still a lot of unknowns about DeSantis. "He hasn't been great on a debate stage," Binder says. "He isn't a particularly comfortable politicker in a sense of the small group, hand-to-hand shaking of the hands on the lines. He doesn't thrive in a stadium full of 20,000 people."
Reason 3
For DeSantis supporters, there is another caveat26. History often hasn't been kind to early presidential frontrunners. Just ask another popular former Republican governor, Scott Walker of Wisconsin. He peaked early before the 2016 election and was knocked out of the race by Trump himself.
1 transcript | |
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书 | |
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2 margin | |
n.页边空白;差额;余地,余裕;边,边缘 | |
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3 nomination | |
n.提名,任命,提名权 | |
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4 autobiography | |
n.自传 | |
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5 opposition | |
n.反对,敌对 | |
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6 barrage | |
n.火力网,弹幕 | |
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7 coverage | |
n.报导,保险范围,保险额,范围,覆盖 | |
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8 reconstruction | |
n.重建,再现,复原 | |
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9 consultant | |
n.顾问;会诊医师,专科医生 | |
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10 democrats | |
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
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11 repeal | |
n.废止,撤消;v.废止,撤消 | |
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12 frustrations | |
挫折( frustration的名词复数 ); 失败; 挫败; 失意 | |
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13 vaccine | |
n.牛痘苗,疫苗;adj.牛痘的,疫苗的 | |
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14 mandates | |
托管(mandate的第三人称单数形式) | |
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15 parental | |
adj.父母的;父的;母的 | |
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16 restrictions | |
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则) | |
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17 orientation | |
n.方向,目标;熟悉,适应,情况介绍 | |
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18 gender | |
n.(生理上的)性,(名词、代词等的)性 | |
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19 abortions | |
n.小产( abortion的名词复数 );小产胎儿;(计划)等中止或夭折;败育 | |
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20 trump | |
n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭 | |
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21 warfare | |
n.战争(状态);斗争;冲突 | |
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22 binder | |
n.包扎物,包扎工具;[法]临时契约;粘合剂;装订工 | |
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23 niche | |
n.壁龛;合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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24 donors | |
n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 );献血者;捐血者;器官捐献者 | |
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25 spotlight | |
n.公众注意的中心,聚光灯,探照灯,视听,注意,醒目 | |
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26 caveat | |
n.警告; 防止误解的说明 | |
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