SHOCK POLL: Ron DeSantis Running Ahead of Trump Against Biden in Florida — By 5 Points
A new poll finds Florida Governor Ron Desantis running ahead of former President Donald Trump against President Joe Biden in the Sunshine State — home turf for both Trump and DeSantis.
A new Suffolk University/USA TODAY network poll of likely Florida voters found that in a head-to-head matchup with Biden for the presidency in 2024, Desantis does better than Trump. But it wouldn’t be Florida if there wasn’t some weirdness, so it turns out that Trump actually beats DeSantis head-to-head in a primary matchup:
Florida voters would choose Governor Ron DeSantis for president in 2024, if he were the Republican nominee, over President Biden by 52%-44%, a new Suffolk University/USA TODAY network poll of Florida voters likely to vote in midterm elections finds.
The poll finds that Florida voters would also prefer former President Donald Trump over Biden (47%-44%) in what appears to be a tighter matchup.
Despite DeSantis’ larger lead over Biden, in a hypothetical Republican primary between Trump and DeSantis, Trump leads the Florida governor by 7 points (47%-40%).
There are a few ways to look at this. DeSantis is close to Trump in the primary poll, well within the 7.4 percent margin of error for that sample.
As governor, you might expect DeSantis to do better in his home state, but Trump was the last president and is also a longtime Florida semi-quasi-resident.
And while Trump consistently leads in primary polls, DeSantis has wide support. DeSantis has solidified his grip on the non-Trump field in the McLaughlin poll. In a Trump-less primary, DeSantis leads with 26 percent, with Donald Trump Jr. in second at 18 percent.
In another recent poll from UMass Amherst conducted by YouGov, Trump led DeSantis 55% to 20%, but DeSantis receive support from 69 percent of Republicans who listed him as either their first (20%), second (37%) or third (12%) choice.
Trump is still the one to beat in the 2024 GOP primary, but this poll shows DeSantis can make a case to be the nominee if the polarizing Trump does indeed run.
