Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is dominating Democratic opponent Charlie Crist with two months left for the election.
Crist is a longtime Florida politician who publicly switched parties from Republican to Democrat. He’s been elected the state’s governor, to the U.S. House, and held other miscellaneous Florida government positions. Now, his attempt to unseat DeSantis seems doomed to fail, if the latest poll is accurate.
If the election were held today, DeSantis would receive 50% of the vote compared to Crist’s 41%, according to a memo regarding polling data that was provided to Washington Examiner columnist Paul Bedard.
Rick Shaftan of Neighborhood Research and Media, the firm behind the poll, said in his memo that DeSantis polls especially well with men and conservatives, Hispanics and Cubans, voters who are concerned about the economy, and voters concerned about politically divisive and sexually permissive curriculum in schools.
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“When asked what they liked most about Ron DeSantis, 14% say he is a strong and unafraid leader who stands his ground, 10% of his favorables said he is ‘for the people.’ Ten percent liked his COVID policies, 10% said he has done a good job as governor, 10% say he is honest or a straight-shooter,” Shaftan relayed in the memo, as reported by the Examiner.
The outlet reports that DeSantis is weakest with voters most concerned about abortion, though it notes that only 2% of Florida voters list abortion as their most important issue.
Neighborhood Research & Media seems to generally work for Republicans, with its biggest client during the 2020 election being Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green’s campaign for Congress.
However, DeSantis indeed seems to be projecting confidence as November draws closer.
The DeSantis campaign has released a series of unifying ads following the Florida primaries, with his latest video highlighting his administration’s opposition to harsh, economically destructive COVID-19 lockdowns and policies.
I love this ad. pic.twitter.com/EsmTW9eUGl
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) September 6, 2022
Before that, DeSantis riffed off the record breaking “Top Gun” sequel with his own video titled, “Top Gov”.
DeSantis offered “rules of engagement” for “dog fighting” and “taking on the corporate media” while parodying the film that’s raked in more than $600 million at the box office.
Top Gov… Dogfighting… Taking on the Corporate Media…
Rules of Engagement are as Follows:
— Casey DeSantis (@CaseyDeSantis) August 23, 2022
Shaftan explained, “DeSantis’s aggressive strategy of appealing to his base to gin turnout is the formula for GOP success in 2022, 2024, and beyond.”
