August 1, 2023
IT'S WHY WE GO FIRST:
Beer, barbecue and a bus: Inside Ron DeSantis' awkward comeback effort (Jonathan Allen, Henry J. Gomez, Allan Smith and Emma Barnett, 7/31/23, NBC News)
ROCHESTER, N.H. -- For $1, New Hampshire voters were invited to drink beer with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday in Concord.But barely more than two dozen people showed up at the New Hampshire Home Builders Association, which slashed the ticket price for the general public from $50 late in the week in order to build the crowd.By the time the event started, an hour late, there were just 30 people in the room.For a campaign that promised allies a new approach while shedding staff amid a cash crunch and declining poll numbers, the meet-and-greet with homebuilders was just one of a string of events in Iowa and New Hampshire in recent days that were distinctive less for any change in DeSantis' tack than for the appearance of waning interest in his candidacy.At least at the outset, DeSantis has reset in name only.
Hampshiremen have met him. He was never going to be able to withstand human contact.
Posted by Orrin Judd at August 1, 2023 12:00 AM