“Oh, poor Ron DeSantis”—words that few could imagine articulating a year ago, and yet which now feel entirely apt as the Florida governor embarks upon what seems like the true plank-walk stage of his historically challenged presidential campaign. There are only 10 days to go until the Iowa caucus and, like Ted Cruz before him, DeSantis has bet his entire candidacy on a strong finish in the state, praying that he’ll at least appear competitive with Trump and then accumulate the momentum—that inefficient engine of retail politics—to compete in New Hampshire. And yet, that strategy already appears set to be a loser: In Iowa, DeSantis is currently polling in the high teens, slightly ahead of Nikki Haley, who’s averaging around 16 percent, while Trump has retained a seemingly indomitable, months-long, 30 point edge.