Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ run for the 2024 Republican nomination is not going as smoothly as supporters had hoped. A new Civiqs poll showed his numbers plunged to an all-time low just over a month into his official presidential campaign.
It was only December when his net favorability was a steady -1. This reflected that 46% of respondents had a favorable opinion of DeSantis compared to 47% who saw him unfavorably.
But by June 26, much had changed. Only 34% of those surveyed held a positive opinion of the Florida governor and 56% said they viewed him negatively. A further 9% reported they were unsure.
That placed his net favorability rating at -22, a drastic dive merely a month after he officially became a candidate.
His numbers among independents also suffered a dramatic fall. At the end of 2022, DeSantis held a +11 favorability rating in this key demographic with 51% seeing him positively. That number, however, now sits at 33% with another 12% undecided.
The net rating among independents is also -22.
Just In: According to a new NBC poll Trump increased his lead over Desantis by 14% after being indicted. It appears the democrats plan is backfiring on them!
Two months ago NBC had Trump at 46% and Desantis at 31% as Desantis gained traction and was closing the Gap. Now,… pic.twitter.com/9F1I6UlDyQ
— 🇺🇸Travis🇺🇸 (@Travis_in_Flint) June 25, 2023
Civiqs surveyed 43,769 registered voters from May 18 to June 26.
It was late last year when many in the GOP ranks suggested that DeSantis should be the party flag bearer in 2024. Republican gains in the November midterms fell far short of expectations, and some attempted to pin the blame on former President Donald Trump.
The results for DeSantis compare more unfavorably with Trump in several polls that show the frontrunner with even higher favorability ratings after recent Democratic attacks.
For example, the latest Morning Consult poll released Tuesday showed the former president opened up a three-point lead over President Joe Biden in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup. Trump took 44% of support from registered voters to 41% for Biden.
Clearly, Democrats delivered their best shots at Trump only to see them deflected away.
When Morning Consult flipped the script and asked voters who they would choose between Biden and DeSantis, there was an opposite result. Among registered voters, 42% gave their support to the incumbent while 40% chose the Florida governor.
The only scenario that was favorable for DeSantis was one in which Trump was not in the race. Faced with that choice, 45% of registered voters supported DeSantis over second choice Mike Pence with 14%. Vivek Ramaswamy was the backup choice of 13%.
