DeSantis never had a chance.
Until Trump is out of the picture, no republican candidate has a chance outside of Trump. He's a clown, but he's an effective clown when it comes to garnering the attention and votes of his demographic. DeSantis isn't even charismatic. All of the interpersonal interactions I've seen him have are just....bad....even for a republican.
And yea, basing your whole platform on the "culture war" and being "anti-woke" will never get you elected. The fact is that the "transgender boogeyman" is just not all that concerning to even the most transphobic bigots.