45th President Donald Trump would beat Gov. Ron DeSantis in a presidential primary held in Florida, the state which remains home to both men.
A new poll, conducted after the New York indictment against Trump was unsealed, the former president soundly beats the Florida governor, both in a head-to-head matchup, and in a crowded contest with multiple Republican candidates.
Pollsters at Victory Insights say that Trump would receive 42.9% of the vote against DeSantis’ 34.8%. Vivek Ramaswamy would receive 3.5%, Nikki Haley 3.2%, Asa Hutchinson 1.4%, and long shot candidate Perry Johnson would receive 0.4%.
In a hypothetical race between only Trump and DeSantis, the former president would receive 46.6% of the vote compared to DeSantis’ 31.8%.
Trump White House
A third survey asked respondents who among the currently declared candidates would receive their support, thus excluding DeSantis, and found that Trump would receive 65.9% of the vote.
Worse for DeSantis, the former president appears to have steadily climbed in the polls since declaring his 2024 run for the White House last November.
At the time, the pollsters reported that Trump would receive 36.5% of the vote, and 47.4% would vote for DeSantis. Another 16.1% remained undecided.
Since November, the pollsters report that “Trump has retaken the lead in astounding fashion,” and is now “beating DeSantis by 14.8 points,” generating a 25-point swing in six months.
(Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
Perhaps fueling Trump’s resurgence, Victory Insights also reported that “nearly 90%” of survey respondents believe Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s indictment against Trump to be politically motivated.
While DeSantis is still yet to formally announce a campaign – current Florida law would force him to resign as governor – he is widely expected to announce his candidacy in the coming months.
Currently, the Florida governor is touring early voting primary states, ostensibly as part of a book tour, and seemed to indicate he would run for president during a recent interview with Piers Morgan.
