There is one fundamental question that any candidate vying for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 2024 must answer — but that as of yet has gone largely unaddressed, at least publicly, as the field spars over significant but ultimately subordinate issues.

The question is this: How will you win the general election under the present voting system?

An inability to answer this question clearly, compellingly, and convincingly imperils Republican odds of retaking the White House, no matter how favorable their prospects might look come next November. It is incumbent on anyone who wants to earn the Republican presidential nomination to answer this question at the outset, and to operate accordingly.

[Of all the candidates in the race so far, DeSantis may have the only coherent answer. I think Weingarten is too pessimistic in this analysis. Republican presidential candidates haven’t put on a well-organized campaign in two decades or more; Trump won on the basis of novelty in the 2016 primary, and the RNC did all of the organizing for him in both general elections. Hillary Clinton’s campaign was just as incompetent, and Biden’s only barely less so. Republicans control more states and are likely to gain even more ground in that sense over the next few years. Read my post from a couple of weeks ago to see how DeSantis has a head start on the process — if he uses it properly. — Ed]