Ron DeSantis’ Campaign Is Flailing. Enter the GOP’s Debate Wizard.
When then-Rep. Marsha Blackburn hired veteran debate coach Brett O’Donnell for her 2018 Senate campaign, her Democratic opponent publicly mocked the decision.
“I’m confident enough that I don’t need somebody to pat me on the back and tell me I can do it or something like that,” former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen scoffed, warning that debate advisers can “turn you into this caricature of a politician.”
But when the debate rolled around in late September, O’Donnell’s coaching sessions of the Republican candidate appeared to pay dividends. Onstage, Blackburn relentlessly tied Bredesen to national Democrats, chipping away at his moderate brand and putting him on the defensive over his connectio...
