The 2024 US election

Ron DeSantis during a campaign meeting this week. Charlie Neibergall / AP  

The 2024 US election  

First debate approaching - life injection or death blow? 

It is going slowly, to say the least, for Ron DeSantis in the fight to become the Republican candidate in the presidential election. But the Florida governor's supporters are now setting their sights on a date that could change everything: August 23. That's what NBC News writes.   

That's when the first presidential debate takes place in Milwaukee.  

- The debate is of crucial importance for DeSantis. He urgently needs to change the narrative and regain momentum, said Dan Eberhart, who has donated money to DeSanti's campaign.  

Several interviewees describe it as a chance for DeSantis to present himself as a strong counter-candidate to Donald Trump. But if things go badly, it could instead be a final death blow for the slow-starting campaign.  

Ron DeSantis at a press conference July 27 Charlie Neibergall / AP  

DeSantis on the upswing: Big deficit in Florida  

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was seen for a while as the main favorite to become the Republican candidate in next year's presidential election. But recently, DeSanti's campaign has suffered several heavy setbacks and he is now far behind in public opinion in his home state, writes the Washington Post.

The latest poll shows Trump is nearly 30 percentage points ahead of DeSantis among voters in Florida. As recently as March, the numbers were reversed: Then DeSantis led by more than 30 percentage points. 

Several Republican politicians that the newspaper has spoken to believe that DeSantis focused on the wrong things, for example the covid debate and lifestyle issues.  

Trump supporters in Florida. Gerald Herbert / AP  

Measurement: Trump sails away from the opposition despite two indictments  

Former President Donald Trump has a crushing lead in public opinion with less than a month to go until the first Republican primary debate. This is shown by a survey from the New York Times.  

Despite being impeached twice, Trump has 54 percent of support among Republican voters, which is nearly 40 percentage points more than Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Other competitors, including Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence, are only scraping together 2-3 percent.  

Trump is by far the most popular candidate among virtually all Republican voter groups: men, women, younger, older, highly educated and less educated.