PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — NewsChannel 5 political analyst Brian Crowley weighed in on strengths and weaknesses of both Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former president Donald Trump, as the governor is expected to officially enter the presidential race in the coming days.
"One of the big things Ron DeSantis has going for him is he can point to five years of accomplishments that conservatives just love," Crowley said, "and what he will say is he did it without all the drama."
However, his chief opponent in the growing Republican primary field holds the GOP crown, at least for now.
"Donald Trump, on the other hand, is beloved by a significant fraction of the MAGA movement," Crowley said. "As more people enter the race, Donald Trump is counting on the idea those [candidates] will split up those folks who don't want to see him get another term and that he will easily win the primaries and caucuses."
Pluses and minuses are about to be magnified under the harsh national spotlight.
WPTV anchor Michael Williams asked Crowley about weaknesses for DeSantis as he heads onto a national campaign trail.
"Ron DeSantis, I think one of his flaws as a candidate is that he has failed to engage with the media on a regular basis. He doesn't like taking tough questions," Crowley said. "He's not going to be able to avoid that with the media in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. He has to win those states or he's not going to be the nominee."
Crowley told WPTV that Trump's biggest challenge on the campaign trail is more legal trouble.
"The biggest threat to Donald Trump's campaign is future indictments. There is more and more information coming out suggesting indictments that may come out in Georgia, but especially the classified documents, could be so serious that he could face potential prison time down the road."
A presidential campaign is about to go into high gear and Florida, as always, will help shape the political landscape in 2024.