TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis holds a significant edge over former President Donald Trump among Republican voters in the Sunshine State, according to a new poll.
Ragnar Research Partners, a polling firm based in Texas, found that DeSantis’ net favorability rating among GOP voters was 76 percent, compared to 44 percent for Trump. NBC News obtained a copy of the poll.
DeSantis’ total favorability rating was 86 percent, while Trump’s was 70 percent. The governor scored an impressive 79 percent “very favorable” rating, whereas the former president only notched 48 percent on that metric.
Not surprisingly, President Joe Biden did not score well among poll respondents. Just 11 percent approved of Biden’s performance thus far, compared to 86 percent who disapproved.
The Ragnar findings come on the heels of a WPA Intelligence poll released on November 29 that also showed DeSantis surging past Trump among conservatives. That survey found that DeSantis’ net favorability ratings surpass Trump among Republicans (+66 vs. +44), Fox News viewers (+58 vs. +27), and Trump’s own 2020 voters (+69 vs. +54).
TRUMP VS. DESANTIS
To this point, DeSantis has not indicated whether or not he will run for president in 2024. Trump announced his candidacy last month on November 16.
Just days before his announcement, Trump blasted DeSantis without any apparent provocation, referring to him as “DeSanctimonious” and an “average Republican governor with great Public Relations.”
“I will tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering. I know more about him than anybody other than perhaps his wife, who is really running his campaign,” Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Election Day.
DeSantis opted against responding directly to Trump's rhetorical assault, saying that he’s grown accustomed to constant criticism.
"One of the things I've learned in this job is when you're leading, when you're getting things done, you take incoming fire, that's just the nature of it,” the governor said. “I roll out of bed in the morning… I have corporate media outlets having a spasm just for the fact that I’m getting up in the morning.”
“I don’t think any governor got attacked more – particularly by corporate media – than me over my four-year term. And yet, I think what you learn is… all that’s just noise,” DeSantis added. “And really what matters is – are you leading, are you getting in front of issues, are you delivering results for people… and are you standing up for folks? And if you do that, none of that stuff matters.”
