Florida governor Ron DeSantis’ entry into the race for the Republican presidential nomination offers observers, at long last, the possibility of an interesting political contest. Other Republican hopefuls can be dismissed as background noise. For now, it’s a two-man fight pitting DeSantis, the challenger, against Donald Trump, the grizzled champion – a slugging match between politicians who differ radically in age, background, and temperament. While both aim to lead the same party, DeSantis and Trump embody irreconcilable political approaches. They come at populism, as it were, from opposite directions.
