Ron DeSantis at a Crossroads

The headlines say Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign is in an unrecoverable dive, even as the primaries are months away. But the Florida Governor can still decide to run as the successful executive he is, if he broadens his public appeal and articulates a governing vision and agenda to revive the country.

Gov. DeSantis has let go about one-third of his campaign staff, as the press has noted with obvious delight. The Governor is polling at about 18% in the Real Clear Politics average, down from 30% in January. Democrats have since made an in-kind donation to Donald Trump’s campaign by indicting the former President, which no doubt revived some of his support in the polls.

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Why isn’t Gov. DeSantis breaking through? Florida is booming, and Americans are pouring over the border seeking asylum from progressive states. The Governor was brave and correct on a major test of executive leadership: The Covid-19 pandemic. He had the courage to open schools and businesses in 2020, and he was vindicated on the merits and rewarded by voters. He’s won the Hispanic voters Republicans need to prevail in national politics.

The mystery is why the Governor has been running a narrow campaign aimed at a fraction of GOP primary voters. An illustration was the odd decision to launch his campaign in a Twitter chat with Elon Musk. Most Americans have the good sense not to spend time on Twitter, and he missed a chance to introduce himself to new voters in a speech that explained his reasons for running.

The Governor has too often catered to putative conservative populists who want to unleash the force of government to “own the libs” and win the culture war. Take the example of Bud Light. The beer’s sales have been in free fall since a brouhaha involving a marketing campaign and a transgender social media personality.

Gov. DeSantis might have simply noted that Americans don’t want to be lectured about gender identity while drinking beer, and offered the case as a cautionary tale for corporate executives wading into live political debates. Mission accomplished. But no. The Governor is now threatening to pummel Anheuser-Busch InBev with lawsuits.

This week the Governor has been hooted down for floating in an interview that as President he might unleash anti-vaccine crusader Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on the Food and Drug Administration or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Running against the measles vaccine is not a platform that will excite suburban America. Many voters will conclude Mr. DeSantis is simply pandering to what a small but loud faction of Republicans wants to hear.

This was an unforced error that raises larger questions about the Governor’s ability to beat Mr. Trump. The former President is a target-rich environment for criticism. But Mr. DeSantis has for some reason decided to attack Mr. Trump on vaccines and as a “pioneer” in promoting “gender ideology.”

Gov. DeSantis is set to give a speech on the economy, and it’s an opportunity for a fresh start. Americans don’t feel better off than they were four years ago, and President Biden’s gusher of federal spending that fueled inflation is one reason.

Mr. DeSantis can flesh out his “great American comeback” into a plan for price stability, lower taxes for all rather than for the politically favored, lower prices from unleashing American energy, and healthcare reform to give Americans more choices. He can set a target of 3% growth in GDP without inflation to lift the real wages of all Americans.

He can also connect economic revival with restoring American defenses in a dangerous world. The Governor has said China is the biggest threat to America, and he’d be doing the country a favor if he made rebuilding a vulnerable military and winning economic competition with China a central theme. So far he’s settled for gimmicks like blocking the purchase of U.S. land by Chinese nationals.

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Gov. DeSantis’s many accomplishments in Florida—on school choice, public unions, and more—will have greater political resonance when they are part of a larger message of national renewal. The Governor can’t beat Mr. Trump by running as a more competent, sane version of Trump. He has to offer voters something better.

Mr. DeSantis turned a narrow first gubernatorial win into a blowout re-election in a competitive state. A record that compelling would be a terrible thing to waste on a campaign based on right-wing grievances.

Correction: An earlier version mistakenly said Mr. DeSantis has criticized Donald Trump’s views on same-sex marriage.