Scott Walker, who once challenged Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in 2015, says Ron DeSantis is making the same mistakes he did eight years ago.
Once considered a potential frontrunner for the 2016 nomination before flaming out early, Walker said the DeSantis camp needs to “focus on going lean,” noting that it has had early fundraising successes but has been “burning up a fair amount of that money” – while going backwards in the polls.
DeSantis has already begun firing staff to try and make ends meet, but Walker had some other advice for the Florida Governor: “[H]e needs to go bold. I know this firsthand. Just having a great track record as governor is not enough, particularly when you go head-to-head with someone like Donald Trump,” he said, referring to his own time as Governor of Wisconsin.
“[DeSantis] needs to step out, not just to have good performances, but actually kind of light a fire with primary and caucus voters with some really bold ideas that will not only help him in the polls but ultimately help him with the fundraising at the lower-dollar level, which is what you need these days to sustain a campaign,” Walker explained.
Whether DeSantis is capable of breaking his dependence on controversial megadonors and running an inspiring retail campaign is uncertain, however. It is not even clear whether he understands what success in this area should look like, recently boasting of drawing 30 to 40 people to events as Trump was hosting rallies attended by tens of thousands.
The Floridian also seems to be short on “bold ideas,” with what was touted as a major announcement on immigration in June turning out to be a restatement of “Build the Wall” and other Trump policies.
