ERICK ERICKSON

Going into the first Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee, plenty of rank-and-file conservatives are happy Donald Trump won't be there.

For much of the Republican presidential field, Donald Trump is the candidate who must not be named — or at least not criticized too harshly.

Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have been on a collision course from the start.

FILE - Dana Loesch, spokesperson for the National Rifle Association, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), at National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 22, 2018. Radio America announced Tuesday that it had signed Loesch to a multi-year contract extension. She's been doing a show in the same afternoon time slot that Limbaugh occupied since 2014, and is now on about 200 radio stations. On her show, which airs in nearly 200 radio stations, Loesch said she didn't want listeners to feel like they're being lectured to or yelled at. AdRadio America says it has added a handful of stations for Loesch since Limbaugh's death.

FILE - Radio personality Rush Limbaugh introduces President Donald Trump at the start of a campaign rally on Nov. 5, 2018, in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Limbaugh's radio syndicators say they plan to keep his voice alive. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)NEW YORK – The replacement for Rush Limbaugh is... Rush Limbaugh, at least in part. “No one can replace Rush Limbaugh, and Premiere Networks will continue to provide millions of loyal listeners with the voice of Rush for the long term,” said Rachel Nelson, company spokeswoman.

FILE - Conservative commentator Dan Bongino speaks at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md., on March 6, 2014. Bongino has been tapped to host a radio show in the same afternoon time slot as the late Rush Limbaughs radio show, Cumulus Medias Westwood One announced on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)NEW YORK – Conservative commentator Dan Bongino has joined a scramble to inherit the radio talk show mantle left behind by the death of Rush Limbaugh. Cumulus Media’s Westwood One said Bongino will begin a new three-hour radio program from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern, the same time slot Limbaugh occupied before his death due to lung cancer in February. “I’m excited to embrace the immense power of radio to connect with my listeners live for three hours every day,” said Bongino.