Trump’s lead over DeSantis increases to more than 40 points, according to poll
Mabinty Quarshie
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Former President Donald Trump‘s polling lead over Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has grown to more than 40 percentage points, according to a poll released Tuesday, as DeSantis mulls launching a presidential campaign in the upcoming weeks.
Morning Consult‘s survey of 3,574 likely GOP primary voters showed Trump receiving 60% of their support compared to 19% who supported DeSantis — a 41 percentage point advantage. No other 2024 likely challenger received double-digit support, but former Vice President Mike Pence and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy each received 5%.
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Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley garnered 3% of the share. Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), who is running for president, received 1%, as did Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who will likely announce a 2024 run later this month.
Trump’s lead over the 2024 pack is his biggest yet since Morning Consult started tracking voters in December, while DeSantis’s 19% share is his lowest, an alarming factor as the Florida governor gears up to launch a presidential campaign. The former president and allies have been unrelenting in attacking DeSantis, from calling him “DeSanctimonious” on his social media platform Truth Social to hammering DeSantis by bragging about the growing number of Florida congressional endorsements Trump has received. Trump is also trashing DeSantis’s supporters over his falling poll numbers.
It appears to be working.
A RealClearPolitics average of polling from April 11 through May 3 showed Trump leading DeSantis 52.2% to 23.1%, a nearly 30 percentage point advantage.
DeSantis allies are ramping up their defense of the governor as the Trump attacks take their toll. Never Back Down, the DeSantis-supporting super PAC, has about a half-dozen staff in Iowa, crucial for its first-in-the-nation caucuses, the Associated Press reported. Last month, the group started targeting voters in the early primary states, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada, with campaign ads touting DeSantis’s conservative credentials.
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Last week, the Florida legislative session came to an end, freeing up DeSantis to plan a presidential announcement. It also gave DeSantis a moment to brag about the victories and legislation he and Republican state lawmakers have passed in Florida, which he described as “the boldest, most significant body of work that has ever been done in the history of our state.”
Despite the success, the governor has been coy about the future. “These things will happen in relatively due course,” DeSantis told reporters when asked about his presidential ambitions.