While Florida Governor Ron DeSantis awaits the winner between Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried in the 2022 Democratic Gubernatorial Primary next week, many Republicans are already thinking about DeSantis’ possible run for the U.S. Presidency in 2024.
Recent unscientific straw polls conducted by conservative organizations such as C-PAC showed former President Trump dominating DeSantis and other potential 2024 Republican Presidential Primary candidates, but new data from a scientific poll conducted by the University of North Florida shows DeSantis overtaking Trump as the Republican favorite.
Registered Republicans were also asked who they would vote for in a hypothetical presidential primary in 2024 between Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump. Of those respondents, 47% said they would vote for DeSantis and 45% for Trump; 7% said they would vote for someone else.
Timing of the results should be considered, since President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago residence was raided by FBI agents earlier this month, fueling speculation that U.S. Attorney General may charge Trump for illegal possession of classified documents. To date, DeSantis and other high profile members of the Republican Party have rallied to defend Trump, but those voices have grown quieter in the past week as the investigation continues.
When poll participants were asked how they would characterize DeSantis and Trump’s personal relationship, to which 47 percent said acquaintances, 42 percent said friends, and just 8 percent
said they think they are enemies. University of North Florida’s political science professor and PORL director Dr. Michael Binder offered his take on the poll results.
“DeSantis and Trump are the two most popular Republican names being discussed for
2024 and DeSantis is edging him out in their home state,” commented Binder. “People are split
on whether Trump and DeSantis are friends or merely acquaintances, I guess we’ll really find
out after the midterms and the 2024 race starts to heat up.”
The same poll asked voters from all parties about Biden’s performance and Biden scored an approval rating of 38 percent, with 59 percent disapproving. The U.S. Supreme Court had similarly low approval, with 37 percent approving and 59 percent disapproval. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott both fared no better, each with 37 percent approving.
A slim majority, 51 percent of those polls, said Roe vs. Wade being overturned would make them more likely to vote in the November Midterm election, while 46% said it would not affect their
decision to vote, and 3% said it would make them less likely to vote. Those numbers could prove pivotal for DeSantis, who signed legislation earlier this year that banned abortion after 15 weeks. Democratic Gubernatorial Primary candidates Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried have each made abortion access a focal point of their respective primary campaigns and are counting on Democratic female voters to turnout in higher numbers than the average midterm election.
Should DeSantis win re-election in November, most signs indicate that a 2024 campaign effort will unofficially start soon after his second term commences.
See the official UNF Poll, HERE.