According to his spokesman, Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis of Florida was involved in an automobile accident on Tuesday in Tennessee.
Bryan Griffin, the governor’s press secretary, stated in a statement to Fox News, “This morning, the governor was in a car accident while traveling to an event in Chattanooga, Tennessee.”
We appreciate the nation’s prayers and well wishes for his ongoing safety while on the campaign trail, Griffin said.
According to reports, DeSantis and his team are unharmed.
Fox News host Steve Doocy said: “Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has just been involved in a car accident. His press secretary announced the governor was in a car accident while traveling to an event in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he and his team are uninjured, and we appreciate the prayers and well wishes for his continued protection while on the campaign trail. We will monitor this developing.”
SEE IT HERE:
Ron DeSantis was in a car accident while traveling to event in Chattanooga, Tennessee pic.twitter.com/TWbpM1ZJYY
— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarliBonnita) July 25, 2023
Throughout the 2024 GOP presidential nomination process, DeSantis has always finished a respectable second to fellow Sunshine State native and former President Donald Trump, but his support has recently started to decline.
In a recent poll, DeSantis and investor and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were almost equal for second place behind Trump, who was far ahead.
Nevertheless, DeSantis stated earlier this month that he has no plans to slow down and that he will participate in the first GOP debate regardless of whether Trump chooses to attend or not next month.
“I’ll be there regardless. I hope everybody who’s eligible comes. I think it’s an important part of the process and I look forward to being able to be on the stage and introducing our candidacy and our vision and our leadership to a wide audience,” DeSantis said Thursday on “Fox News Tonight.”
The first GOP debate is set for August 23.
Fox News added:
Trump, who’s the commanding front-runner in the latest GOP presidential primary polls as he makes his third straight White House run, has indicated both publicly and privately that he may skip the debate, due in part to his large lead over the rest of the field of Republican 2024 contenders.
But Trump campaign officials say the former president has yet to make any final decision on his participation in the debate. Trump’s aides have also been looking into options for an alternative event should the former president skip the debate.
As of Friday, Ramaswamy and DeSantis were tied for second place behind Trump in the most recent poll, which was commented on by Fox News contributor and co-host Katie Pavlich.
She and another guest discussed the disconcerting statistics for the Florida governor with the host of “Kudlow,” a section on the Fox Business Network show that features former Trump administration economist Larry Kudlow.
“Forty-eight percent, Trump,” Kudlow said, reading the Kaplan Strategies poll. “Twelve percent, Ramaswamy, 12 percent, DeSantis.”
“He’s like the Mayor Pete of this race, I think, right now,” said guest and New York Post reporter Jon Levine. “I think a lot of voters are looking at this race thinking there’s a lot of yesterday’s news in this race – people like Chris Christie and Mike Pence. And Ramaswamy is someone that offers voters something new.”
DeSantis’ campaign, according to Pavlich, has spent a lot of money thus far without yielding much in return.
“It has to be bad for the Desantis campaign, who’s looking at all the resources, all the money they’ve spent,” she said. “They’re trying to regroup their campaign, and to have Ramaswamy – who has no political experience – come in and be tied, it’s not good for them.”
After winning his reelection bid by more than 19 points last year, DeSantis was once thought to be Trump’s lone credible opponent for the 2024 presidential nomination. However, given that Trump continues to be popular with Republican voters, his star may be dimming, at least for the upcoming election
