[jfengel]

In the last election, he got more votes than anybody had in history. He lost only because he opponent got even more than that.

Much has changed since then. His opponent came with a relatively clean track record, at a time when he himself was seen to be struggling with a crisis. The opponent now has several crises of his own to deal with, most notably inflation, an issue that strikes close to home for a lot of voters.

So broadening his base may not be necessary. His base is quite enthusiastic, and it may suffice merely to demoralize his opponents. That strategy had worked for him in his first election, and now can come with the advantage of spending two years harassing the incumbent.

There are always too many variables to predict confidently, but his wisest course of action may simply be to do exactly what he's always done and hope that circumstances break his way -- which they very well could.