Meghan McCain believes that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would have much higher polling numbers if other GOP presidential candidates would drop out of the race, thereby leaving it between him and former President Donald Trump.
McCain, the daughter of former Arizona Sen. John McCain and a former co-host of “The View,” made her proposal in a Sunday Op-Ed for the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
As she explained, polling data shows Trump with a significant lead over his closest challenger. The RealClearPolitics polling average puts the former president at 46.0 percent compared with 15.8 percent for DeSantis.
“It’s make or break time, America,” McCain wrote. This, she said, is “a final wake-up call” and there will be “no more smashing the snooze button” for Republicans who want to avoid a repeat of the 2020 race between Trump and President Joe Biden.
“Let’s be clear about what DeSantis is up against. He’s splitting the ‘anyone but Trump vote’ with seven other GOP candidates,” McCain wrote. “Of course, he’s struggling.
“Barring a miracle, it’ll be Trump vs. Biden come November 2024 and the vast majority of voters will be holding their noses as they pull the lever. But there is a way through — just listen to New Hampshire’s Republican Governor Chris Sununu.”
She pointed to Sununu’s comments last week on Fox News: “‘If seven of those candidates have the discipline to get out, Trump loses. … Make it a one-on-one race, Trump loses. There’s no question about it.”
McCain continued, “So here we go: a plea to the GOP field. If you’re not consistently polling in the double-digits nationally then drop out! That leaves two: Don and Ron. Everyone else is just filling a debate stage podium.”
The only reason the race is going the way it is is because Republicans are focused more on “personality” rather than “actual accomplishments,” she said, noting multiple recent attacks on DeSantis from the Trump campaign.
PBD: DeSantis has an incredible resume.
Owens: Resume doesn’t mean anything. You gotta have the it factor and know how to work a crowd.
So much to unpack here. First of all if working a crowd is more important to voters than an actual incredible and flawless resume, then our… pic.twitter.com/AFIDPsNgLd
— Unfiltered
Boss (@Unfilteredboss1) September 17, 2023
Should Trump be picked as the 2024 Republican nominee, McCain said, he will be defeated by Biden. She said the left-wing media is “more than happy” to help him win the nomination in order to guarantee such an outcome.
McCain also doesn’t believe that any other candidates have much to offer. This includes Vivek Ramaswamy, who she said will “rap on stage and give snappy soundbites” but ultimately “has no political record” to back it up.
Laura to Vivek Ramaswamy: Why don’t you drop out and just support Trump? pic.twitter.com/VT8Wjna8px
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) September 16, 2023
DeSantis stands out to McCain because, under his leadership, Florida has become a “safeharbor” for those fleeing “draconian lockdowns and sweeping public health directives” brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.
“Under DeSantis, Florida was among the first states in the nation to block mask and vaccines mandates and reopen businesses and schools, yet COVID death rates were higher in New York, which embraced lockdown recommendations,” she noted. “Most importantly, Florida’s economy replaced all the jobs lost during the pandemic a full nine months sooner than the national average.”
Despite this, the Trump campaign has tried to paint him as some kind of “mini-Jeb Bush,” she said, pointing out that it was Trump who condemned Republican governors when they began rejecting lockdowns.
A reckoning is coming.
Florida is the only state that launched a grand jury investigation into Big Pharma regarding mRNA shots under Operation Warp Speed — and pushing jabs on toddlers.
When I’m president, the biomedical bureaucracy will be held responsible for the damage it’s… pic.twitter.com/xYAatXUQUq
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) September 8, 2023
The Trump administration also warned DeSantis that Florida’s high COVID numbers required “active and aggressive immunization” and encouraged mitigation efforts that included “masking, physical distancing, and avoiding family gatherings.”
“[DeSantis] deserves a fair, final assessment from voters who are smart enough to see through the smears pushed by Trump, his allies, and the left-wing media,” McCain concluded.
“It’s long past time for the Republican Party to get behind Ron — before it’s too really late.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
