TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — A new poll conducted by the University of North Florida shows massive support for Ron DeSantis’ hypothetical presidential bid among the state’s Republican voters.
UNF’s Public Opinion Research Lab asked registered Republicans about their preference in the 2024 presidential primary election. When presented with a list of ten possible candidates, 52 percent of respondents said they would vote for Ron DeSantis, followed by 27 percent for Donald Trump.
Other candidates barely moved the meter, with Nikki Haley at 4 percent, Liz Cheney at 3 percent and Mike Pence coming in at 2 percent.
In a showdown between Trump and DeSantis, 59 percent of registered
Republicans said they would vote for DeSantis, with 28 percent for Trump and 14 percent undecided or refused to answer.
“It’s not too surprising to see DeSantis take the lead among Republicans in his home state of Florida,” said Dr. Michael Binder, PORL faculty director and professor of political science. “But it is interesting to see how his lead jumps up from 25 to 31 points ahead, once you winnow the field from 10 to two. DeSantis is much better compared to Trump at consolidating votes if the field were to narrow.”
The poll was conducted between February 25 and March 7, 2023. It included 1,452 registered Florida voters. The margin of sampling error is +/- 2.57 percentage points.
