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How would matchup involving former President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis impact Democrats in 2024?

2 political heavyweights going head-to-head could bid well for the Democratic Party, political science professor says
Posted at 5:46 PM, Nov 15, 2022
and last updated 2022-11-15 18:52:28-05

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The midterm elections are over, and political pundits are already looking ahead to the presidential election of 2024.

Donald Trump will potentially announce Tuesday night that he plans to run for president again.

Trump has already gone on the offense, criticizing Gov. Ron DeSantis and calling him "DeSanctimonious." 

RELATED: Palm Beach County Republicans stressing out over DeSantis-Trump feud

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference in Fort Walton Beach, Nov. 15, 2022.jpg
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference in Fort Walton Beach, Nov. 15, 2022.

However, Florida's governor fired back during a Tuesday news conference, calling much of it "just noise."

"I would just tell people to go check out the scoreboard from last Tuesday night," DeSantis said Tuesday.

RELATED: Did Trump's denouncement of DeSantis kick off 2024 presidential primary?

DeSantis has not announced a run for the 2024 presidential race but many Republicans are salivating over the likelihood.

Dr. Luzmarina Garcia, Florida Atlantic University political science professor
Dr. Luzmarina Garcia shares her thoughts on how a Trump-DeSantis matchup might be beneficial to the Democratic candidates in the 2024 presidential elections.

"What Democrats will hope for is that Trump and DeSantis have a very contentious primary that turns off voters from supporting either candidate in the general election," Dr. Luzmarina Garcia, an associate professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University, said.

Garcia said the two political heavyweights going head-to-head could bid well for the Democratic Party, which already has the advantage of a sitting Democratic president.

"The most likely option, in my opinion, is that President [Joe] Biden will run again," Garcia said. "In which case, he will very likely get his party's nomination."

Florida state Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach, who was recently re-elected, said he supports a Biden second term.

State Sen. Bobby Powell, Nov. 15, 2022
State Sen. Bobby Powell shares his thoughts on how a 2024 presidential race involving Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump would impact the Democrats.

"You see nationwide where people predicted a 'red wave,' [and] that did not happen nationally," Powell said.

Powell believes the president will continue that momentum. His concern locally is that a Trump versus DeSantis Republican primary will put Floridians at a disadvantage.

"Now, the focus has been shifted to dealing with issues that directly impact people and now focus on immigration — flying people from Texas to Martha's Vineyard," Powell said.