DeSantis approval shrinks in latest GOP primary poll
fLorida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)’s hold on a possible presidential nomination in 2024 may be losing strength if polls released Friday are any indication.
The poll results show DeSantis lagging behind former President Donald Trump, with Trump having 46% versus DeSantis’ 23%. The latest tally is a 5% drop in support for DeSantis compared to last month, when the Florida governor trailed Trump by 20% in the same poll, according to Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll data released exclusively for The hill.
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Other details from the polls give DeSantis cause for concern, as his standing in a hypothetical GOP non-Trump primary also declined. Respondents in the poll said that 39% of GOP voters would support DeSantis for the Republican nomination if Trump did not run, although the percentage is still 10% lower from the previous month.
The poll, conducted Feb. 15-16, polled a total of 1,838 registered voters. The survey does not provide a probability-confidence interval because it is a representative online sample.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks as he announces a proposal for a digital bill of rights at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee).
Wilfredo Lee/AP
While DeSantis has faltered somewhat in recent polls, other Republicans have seen a boost in their support for a possible 2024 bid. Former Vice President Mike Pence rose to 17% in the latest poll. In contrast, Nikki Haley, the former United Nations ambassador and governor of South Carolina, who announced her presidential bid earlier this week, saw her support surge to 10%, a 5% jump from last month.
DeSantis, who clinched a major win in the 2022 Florida gubernatorial election and is believed to be a strong contender for the 2024 presidential election, has not yet announced if he will run. On Tuesday, DeSantis was asked if he would run in the next presidential election after Haley announced her candidacy, to which he replied, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”.
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President Joe Biden has still not announced whether he will seek re-election, although White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said he intends to run in 2024.
“What I can say is to reiterate what the President has said many times, which is that he intends to run. And I’ll leave it at that,” Jean-Pierre told Jonathan Capehart on MSNBC The Sunday Show.