For conservatives and traditional Republican voters who want to pick a horse against Trump, the hour of decision between Haley and Ron DeSantis is fast approaching. There are reasons why Haley is an appealing candidate, and while I prefer DeSantis, Haley would still be the most conservative Republican nominee in 40 years. That’s part of why she polls so well. She performed better than DeSantis in the primary debates (although that may understate DeSantis’s capacity to debate a Democrat, as he showed against Gavin Newsom). But having spent eight months with a target on his back as the top Trump alternative, on the receiving end of more negative advertising than Trump or Biden, DeSantis has had all of his flaws and limitations exposed. We know by now what we’d be getting. And for all of the criticism of DeSantis’s personal affect, he’s just better at this tightrope walk with reporters and audiences, and less prone to this kind of thing. Trump, meanwhile, is hiding from these kinds of interactions and ranting like a humorless crazy person every time he makes an appearance. The next few weeks will be a serious test of whether this is just one silly-season news cycle, or whether Haley really is not ready for the next level.