DeSantis' Rocky Start

There is one characteristic that has unified most successful political candidates from all parties in democratic societies throughout history: likeability. Above ideas, certainly above ideals, a winning smile and glossy hair combined with an affable personality and appropriately folksy demeanor have shepherded more mediocre candidates into office than practically any other criteria. Provided their society allows for democratic representation, citizens repeatedly prove that affect trumps effect, persona beats politics, and charisma can cover a multitude of sins. As technology progresses and candidates spend less time shrouded from the public, the issue has only heightened, and voters look to officials to not only staunchly defend values and expertly field media heat but also provide a not insignificant level of spectacle as distraction from whatever unfortunate events the nation currently faces.

To be sure, no contender is ideal. Various combinations of said attributes will suffice, shifting as candidates rise in popularity and power and social mores evolve. Donald Trump, practically devoid of polished manner(ism)s, hedged such deficits with a working man’s humor and moments of apparently genuine connection with less fortunate souls. A slightly more awkward Barack Obama still projected an everyman image, rounded out as Dad-and-Husband-of-the-Year with a scholar’s temperament. No stranger to gaffes, Joe Biden has allowed unique vulnerability to his personal grief, a winning combination with his typically lighthearted disposition and penchant for ice cream.

One measure of likeability in politics has manifested as ‘the Beer Test,’ popular since the turn of the century. The poll asks which of two candidates the respondent would rather have a drink with, regardless of policy considerations. George W. Bush won two Presidential elections and each corresponding beer test against Al Gore and John Kerry- even despite his personal sobriety. More recently, likewise teetotaler Donald Trump proved a more desirable drinking buddy than opponent Hillary Clinton and went on to beat the Secretary of State in the 2016 general election. While not a surefire test of electability, demeanor can offset significant deficits on the campaign trail. Particularly as President Biden will be forced out of his covid-era campaigning shadows of 2020 and into the public eye, his Republican challenger must be sharp and charming, with just enough edge to keep things interesting. Banter will likely prove critical, as an aging President faces criticism over his enduring fitness for office, and Joe will have to manage real-time frustration and its corresponding missteps.

Now, newly announced Republican candidate Ron DeSantis is facing a likeability problem that could cost him the primary, particularly once he is in direct campaign contrast with Trump. The media has already begun painting the Florida Governor as stiff and disconnected, which will likely become his national persona as he launches his race in earnest. Politico has called the Presidential hopeful a “dead-eyed and dour… frozen and vengeful character whose veins pump bile.” Vanity Fair hit even harder, claiming Ron to be “kind of an *******.” To make matters worse, he fails to respond satisfactorily- or entirely- to the continued attacks from opponent Donald Trump, making him appear simultaneously offputting and meek. At this point, his Floridian good looks and stellar First-Lady-candidate wife Casey, a journalist turned mother who heroically battled breast cancer while fulfilling her duties in the Sunshine State may be much of his universal appeal. Still, DeSantis has significant ground to cover if he expects voters to muster sufficient enthusiasm over the next 18 months.

How do you feel about Ron DeSantis’ likeability? Could it pose a problem in the general election?

Hilary Gunn is a Connecticut native with a degree in Criminal Justice from the George Washington University. She works for a nonprofit and has previously collaborated with the CT GOP as an activist, political campaign manager and field director, and social media organizer. She is currently serving in her fourth term of municipal office and has previously acted as a delegate on the Republican Town Committee.