Florida held its presidential primary yesterday. Controversially, the FL Democratic Party opted not to expend resources on a presidential primary and threw its support behind Joe Biden.**
The Florida vote was pretty meaningless since both candidates had already clinched their nominations. But it’s fascinating that although Trump won big with 81%, the FL primary was yet another result that demonstrates there’s a significant portion of Republicans who want a not-Trump.
Florida Republicans in this closed primary state also rejected DeSantis. He got 3.7%, and Haley got 13.9%. Even Marco Rubio had a better showing than DeSantis in Florida during Rubio’s losing effort to Trump in the 2016 contest, and pretty much everyone despises Rubio, including his supporters.
Trump came up short in red Ohio too, according to ABC News:
Two in 10 to as many as three in 10 Republican primary voters in Ohio continue to resist Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy — and among those supporting Nikki Haley, nearly half say they’d back Joe Biden in November, according to preliminary exit poll results from the Republican primary.
Leave it to Politico Playbook to offer the dumbest possible take on the OH senate race:
Democrats got the candidate they wanted in Moreno, but the race will offer an interesting strategic test for Sen. SHERROD BROWN, the most populist, nationalist and protectionist Democrat in the Senate. (In other words, the most Trumplike.)
Brown is “Trumplike?” These fucknuckles are still listening to what Trump says rather than looking at what he does, and that’s been inexcusable for several years now. The comparison is an insult to Brown, who, unlike the orange fart cloud, actually has genuine principles.
Anyhoo, Trump will almost certainly win Ohio and Florida in November. But he still appears to be a weaker candidate in 2024 than he was in 2020, and as a reminder, in 2020 HE LOST.
Open thread.
*A more plausible guess than Dr. Ronny “Candyman” Jackson’s bald-faced lies.
**I understand the disgruntlement, but meh, get over it. FL Dems have enough on their plate without spending millions to indulge no-hopers like Phillips and Williamson.