Ron DeSantis was the conservative policy wunderkind considered the GOP's solution for reuniting the Republican Party in a post-Trump world. The announcement came just two days before the Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire , with DeSantis polling in the single digits in the Granite State. Yet, like all of Trump’s other presidential primary challengers, DeSantis had difficulty escaping Trump’s penumbra and failed to dent the support of his MAGA movement. He consistently polled some 40% to 50% behind Trump among likely Republican primary voters, despite his campaign and supporting political action committees raising more than $100 million to break through. Indeed, DeSantis placed a distant second in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15, nabbing just 21% of the votes compared with 51% for Trump.

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