As the race for the 2024 presidential election heats up, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is emerging as the clear frontrunner among Republican voters. A recent survey of Sunshine State Republican presidential primary voters shows DeSantis with a 25-point lead over former President Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup.[0] When the poll asked only two declared candidates, Trump received an overwhelming 63% to Haley’s 27%.[1]
DeSantis has yet to declare his candidacy, but he is expected to do so sometime in the spring. He recently made an appearance at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, channeling the same conservative anger at what he claims is a left-wing “woke” elite takeover of politics, education, Covid-19 public health policy and big business.[2] The Florida governor has also presented a more specific blueprint than Trump for a disruption of government, implying that after implementing hardline conservatism in the Sunshine State, he could deliver the policy goals that often eluded Trump in his chaotic White House term.[2]
However, the poll shows that DeSantis’s recent proposals remain largely unpopular among the same voters who gave Republicans a resounding victory last fall.[3] A GOP plan to ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy is opposed by 75% of voters, while his move to allow unfettered concealed carry of guns is even less popular, with only 21% supporting it.[3] Powerful majorities of Sunshine State voters also support a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational use of marijuana and oppose DeSantis’s plans to halt efforts to increase diversity in public colleges and restrict discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.[4]
Other candidates such as former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have voiced their criticisms of DeSantis’s foreign policy views, wondering “how exactly they teach foreign policy in Tallahassee.”[5] As of now, Trump and DeSantis are “soaking up all the oxygen” and “getting all the attention” according to Hogan, with the rest of the candidates in the single digits.[6] It remains to be seen if DeSantis can maintain his lead, or if other contenders will rise up to challenge his candidacy.
0. “Poll: Ron DeSantis holds 25-point lead over Donald Trump in Florida GOP Primary” Florida Politics, 9 Mar. 2023, https://floridapolitics.com/archives/593887-2024-unf-gop/
1. “Who do Republican women support in the 2024 GOP presidential nomination race?” Fox News, 11 Mar. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/who-do-republican-women-support-2024-gop-presidential-nomination-race
2. “Trump, DeSantis stake out sharpest preview yet of possible 2024 showdown” CBS News, 7 Mar. 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/trump-desantis-stake-out-sharpest-preview-yet-of-possible-2024-showdown/
3. “Ron DeSantis wallops Donald Trump in Florida presidential poll” Yid Info, 10 Mar. 2023, https://yidinfo.net/ron-desantis-wallops-donald-trump-in-florida-presidential-poll/
4. “Ron DeSantis wallops Donald Trump in Florida presidential poll — but right-wing state legislative agenda is unpopular” Brunswick News, 9 Mar. 2023, https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/national_news/ron-desantis-wallops-donald-trump-in-florida-presidential-poll-but-right-wing-state-legislative-agenda/article_78e7354c-892b-59c9-833b-4ac8290a7e5e.html
5. “‘Don’t Be Fooled’: Why Leading GOPers Are Taking Aim At Both Trump and DeSantis” Yahoo News, 10 Mar. 2023, https://news.yahoo.com/don-t-fooled-why-leading-093000176.html
6. “Republicans grapple with how to nominate someone other than Trump in 2024” erienewsnow.com, 6 Mar. 2023, https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/48495909/republicans-grapple-with-how-to-nominate-someone-other-than-trump-in-2024
