As a congressman in 2015, Ron DeSantis criticized the Obama-Byden administration for not providing lethal aid to Ukraine after Russia invaded and annexed Crimea..

But today, as governor of Florida and a potential 2024 presidential nominee, DeSantis has abandoned the Reagan clarity of position, apparently worried that Donald Trump plans to use Ukraine as a weapon against him..

However, this is a mistake - both substantive and political, writes Mark Thiessen of the American Enterprise Institute and former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush in The Washington Post column.

Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll Shows While Some MAGA Republicans Agree With Trump's Position On Ukraine, Many More Republicans Still Support Kyiv. And representatives of DeSantis' potential electorate prefer his previous, pro-Ukrainian position..

When asked whether they had a positive view of Ukraine, only 42% of Trump fans answered yes.. But in general, 51% of Republicans and 55% of DeSantis supporters have this point of view: the divergence regarding Ukraine among supporters of both candidates is 13 points..

Respondents were then asked if they agreed that the United States should support Ukraine “until Russia withdraws all invading forces from its territory or is defeated on the battlefield” – this is the most aggressive position..

60% of all Republicans agreed that the US should support Ukraine until Russia is defeated or expelled - clear and convincing majority.

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Among Trump voters, 53% of those polled were in favor of supporting Ukraine - slightly below the Republican Party average, but still a majority.

Among DeSantis supporters, an uncompromising 69% support the idea of \u200b\u200bthe United States supporting Ukraine until a complete victory over Russia.

What does it say? First, many Republicans still support aid to Ukraine.. Second, DeSantis fans are more militant than Trump fans.. Third, the voters that DeSantis will pull away from other candidates if the field is narrowed down to two candidates are likely to be even more militant about helping Ukraine defeat Russia.. Seven out of ten want to help kick Russia out of every inch of Ukrainian territory it has illegally seized.

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Respondents were also asked whether the more than $27.4 billion in security aid the United States provided to Ukraine after Putin's invasion was a worthwhile investment to protect an ally and its people, or if it was an unjustified expense during someone else's war.?

On this issue, the Republicans were divided almost equally: 49% for 51% against. 44% percent of Trump supporters and 48% of DeSantis supporters said investment in Ukraine is justified. And in a hypothetical fight between Trump and DeSantis, 59% of DeSantis supporters said American security assistance to Ukraine was money well spent..

When asked if they would support providing Ukraine with an additional $10 billion, 48% of Republicans answered in the affirmative: 42% of Trump supporters and 48% of DeSantis supporters.. But in the confrontation between the two candidates, the proportion of DeSantis supporters who said they agreed to help Ukraine more increased to 58%.

In other words, while the Republican Party is split over the justification for aiding Ukraine — and Trump supporters are somewhat more likely to say the U.S. is giving too much to Ukraine — Republican primary voters leaning toward DeSantis are giving the undeniable advantage of more aid..

All this suggests that DeSantis is taking the wrong approach when he tries to appeal to MAGA voters by calling the war in Ukraine a “territorial dispute.”.

While Trump's core MAGA electorate is slightly more likely than most Republicans to oppose aid to Ukraine, these voters are generally in the minority of GOP primary voters and will never leave the former president.. So DeSantis has nothing to gain by addressing Trump's nuclear electorate..

He looks weak and alienates pro-Ukrainian voters who are ready to support his candidacy.

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Instead of trying to win over core MAGA voters, DeSantis should consolidate support for Republicans who want someone other than Trump to be the GOP candidate, while pulling away from the ex-president those voters who can be convinced it's time to move on..

Given the polls, DeSantis must make a decision and keep up with Ukraine. The mistake will keep him from gaining support from hardline anti-Ukrainian MAGA Republicans while alienating MAGA voters and other GOP voters who share Reagan's worldview..

DeSantis must take a bold stance in support of the Ukrainian freedom fighters and support them until they defeat Russia and kick out Putin's army..

This would be a smart and correct political move..