DeSantis Takes Double-Digit Lead Over Trump in Recent GOP Primary Polls
Recent national polls have shown Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ahead of former President Donald Trump with Republican primary voters by double digits.[0] According to a poll released by Marquette University's Law School, DeSantis has a 30 point lead over Trump with 64 percent to 36 percent among Republican voters in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup for the party's 2024 presidential nomination.[1]
Despite Trump's public criticisms of DeSantis, calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious” and an “average Republican governor with great Public Relations,” DeSantis has kept quite a dignified silence, telling people to “chill out” about the prospect of a GOP civil war between them while at a press conference in November last year.[2] Axios' Jonathan Swan reported in January 2022 that Trump was trash-talking the governor behind closed doors, slamming him for his perceived ungratefulness and saying DeSantis has a “dull personality.”[3]
DeSantis has not yet announced he will run for president, but has hinted he might. His upcoming autobiography, The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival, is a key indicator he is looking towards a White House run.[2] He also wouldn't commit to serving a full four-year term as governor during a debate in October.[2]
Whether or not DeSantis will run for president in 2024 is yet to be seen, but the polls show he has a double-digit lead over Trump, with no other contenders polling above 5%. As the election nears, only time will tell who will ultimately become the Republican nominee.
0. “Texas Republican event hosts 2024 alternatives to Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump” Florida Politics, 25 Jan. 2023, https://floridapolitics.com/archives/583650-texas-republican-event-hosts-2024-alternatives-to-ron-desantis-donald-trump/
1. “Donald Trump Can't Ignore His Ron DeSantis Problem Anymore” Newsweek, 26 Jan. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-cant-ignore-ron-desantis-problem-2024-presidential-race-polling-1776932
2. “Donald Trump Is Now Saying He’ll ‘Handle’ Ron DeSantis If He Runs Against Him In 2024—Do We Believe Him?” SheFinds, 25 Jan. 2023, https://www.shefinds.com/collections/donald-trump-handle-ron-desantis
3. “Trump on the possibility of Ron DeSantis running against him in 2024: ‘We'll handle that the way I handle things'” Yahoo! Voices, 17 Jan. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-possibility-ron-desantis-running-081608830.html