Whether or not Trump decides to show up for the first Republican primary debate, Ron DeSantis has committed to being there on the stage. He’d be foolish to miss out on a chance to present himself to voters. He is still in the stage of introducing himself to a nationwide audience.

DeSantis is far behind Trump in polling now, that is true. However, as long as crowds show up to his rallies and wait in long lines to get in, he’s doing ok. The primary is going to be won on a state by state basis, not a national vote. Don’t count him out yet. Just look at how ugly the primary chatter is getting. If Trump already has the primary sown up, why is anyone even bothering to pay attention to DeSantis? Why has the frontrunner been after him and not the others?

Anyone who says they know what will happen is lying. We’ve never faced the possibility of having a nominee who is under indictment and facing prison time. Will voters set that aside and go with Trump again? Or are even the most loyal primary voters growing tired of the drama? It is up to the other candidates to offer better alternatives. So far, none of them is making headway. The field seems to be frozen.

Trump wants a coronation, he doesn’t think he needs to debate anyone since he is so far ahead in the polls. He’s angry that others are running against him and calls them disloyal, especially DeSantis. The problem is that though he may be considered an incumbent, he has lost a large part of his support. He has lost women and independents. He will not likely get them back by the general election. He can’t win without them. DeSantis attracts voters from a wider spectrum.

“I’ll be there regardless. I hope everybody who’s eligible comes,” DeSantis, 44, told “Fox News Tonight” Thursday, despite past indications from his super PAC that he might skip the proceedings if Trump declined to debate.

“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,” he added.

He has a great story to tell, both his professional career and his personal story. Casey DeSantis is an asset on the campaign trail and has already said she will go across the country with her Mamas for DeSantis campaign. She strikes the right note and is a good communicator, thanks to her experience in broadcasting. Women and independents will find themselves nodding in approval as they watch the first Mamas for DeSantis ad. Her message of protecting children resonates with women everywhere.

DeSantis polls well against Biden in swing states where the general election will be won. The most recent poll out of Nevada shows DeSantis doing well against Biden.

The Public Opinion Strategies survey found 44% of registered voters prefer DeSantis, while 43% prefer Biden. In a head-to-head matchup, the same voters preferred Biden to Trump by a three-point margin, 45% to 42%.

However, a majority of respondents said both Trump and DeSantis could beat Biden, with the former president enjoying a slightly higher share (55%) of voters’ support than the Florida governor (52%).

The poll, which was conducted July 5-6, surveyed 500 registered Silver State voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38%.

That is a small number of voters polled, and it is registered voters, which is less reliable than likely voters, but it tracks with poll results so far. It’s early yet but it is time for the candidates who are not Trump to start breaking out if they are going to do that. DeSantis is a champ when it comes to fundraising. He raised $20M in the first six weeks of his campaign. That is the largest first-quarter filing from a nonincumbent Republican candidate in over 10 years.

We’ll know more after the first debate. We’ll see who should probably drop out soon and who can’t garner enough support to meet the requirements of the RNC to get on the debate stage.