There’s been a lot of conversation about the DeSantis “stall” lately, and it’s true that he didn’t get a bounce from his announcement.

There are various reasons advanced for DeSantis not getting more traction, some of which have validity (he’s not an electric campaigner, he’s emphasized his anti-woke agenda to the exclusion of other important things). But we aren’t looking at a campaign with the flaws of highly touted campaigns that have flamed out over the years — DeSantis is not going to run out of money, and he’s not out of date.

No, I think the biggest problem he has is that Trump still has a grip on the party, and loosening it is an enormous and very tricky task.

If Trump weren’t in the race, DeSantis pretty clearly would be the frontrunner.

That doesn’t change his situation, obviously, but we should be clear about what’s going on.