Just a few months ago, it seemed that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was Fox News‘ heir apparent to Donald Trump. He was going to be their GOP frontrunner for the 2024 presidential election and would get favorable coverage from the network. That narrative has taken a turn since it seems that DeSantis’ very conservative views don’t seem to work beyond Florida’s state lines.
News Corp. Chair Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox News, reportedly had a strategy to make Donald Trump “a non-person” in the upcoming election year, according to Media Matters. The “keep Trump down” game plan was meant to help the Republican Party “move on for the future of the conservative movement.” DeSantis was seen as the bright, shining star in the GOP until he found himself mired in a PR fight with Disney that he likely won’t win. Now that his campaign is sputtering quickly, Fox News is quickly pivoting to another undeclared candidate: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Murdoch is reportedly trying to coax Youngkin to step up into the national spotlight with his more moderate Republican views, but the governor wants to wait and see how his party fares in Virginia’s November election. If he flips state seats, it would be “proof that his political machine is ready to go,” per Axios. He has struggled to get his political agenda moving in Virginia during his first term because much of it has been blocked by a Democratic-led state Senate.
DeSantis and Donald Trump might want to read the room because the most powerful media tool a GOP candidate can have in their toolbox is Fox News. With Murdoch leading the way, Youngkin might emerge as a surprise candidate who doesn’t carry the burden of the former president’s legal woes, and who doesn’t lean as far right as DeSantis. If Youngkin does get the GOP nomination, he might be a serious contender for challenging Joe Biden in his re-election campaign.
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