Florida Governor and potential 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has laid out a timeline for when he would make his decision on whether or not he will run – after the state legislative session ends in May. This has been further reinforced by a recent survey conducted by the Berkeley Institute of Government Studies/Los Angeles Times poll which found DeSantis leading with 37% support, followed by former President Donald Trump at 29%.[0]
The poll asked Republican voters which candidate they’d support if the 2024 GOP presidential primary were held today.[1] Forty-six percent of people selected Donald[1] DeSantis finished second in the poll with 23%, a drop from earlier surveys.[1] DeSantis’ supporters favor Trump as the Republican nominee, with 34% of them expressing their support. Haley came in second, with 27% of the votes.[2] Meanwhile, other potential Republican candidates, such as former Vice President Mike Pence, former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, received support from no more than 4% of California’s GOP voters.[2]
A different poll from WPA Intelligence of 1,000 GOP primary voters from Feb. 13-16 found that in a two-way race, DeSantis leads Trump 33%-41%.[3] DeSantis is ahead with 40% support in the wider field.[4]
Five recent surveys indicate that DeSantis is outpolling President Joe Biden among independents—a demographic that contributed to Biden’s victory over Trump in the 2020 presidential election. DeSantis has an average lead of 12.4 percentage points over Biden among independent voters, ranging from 4 to 21 percent.
In addition to the polls, DeSantis has hinted that he will make a decision on a 2024 presidential run after the state’s legislative session wraps up in May, giving the clearest timeline yet of when he could enter the race. He will be going on a book tour for his book “The Courage to be Free.” which talks about “Florida’s blueprint for American revival” in order to gain more support leading up to his decision.
Both Biden and Harris have seen a decrease in support for their potential 2024 runs for the Presidency on the Democratic side.[5] The polling results for the Democratic Party in California have been varied.[5] Prior to Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement in November that he would not be running for president in 2024, polls had indicated that he would be the top contender.[5]
0. “DeSantis now beating Trump in California GOP primary, poll says” SFGATE, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/ron-desantis-beating-trump-in-california-17803788.php
1. “Trump Top Pick Among GOP for 2024, Holds Wide Lead Over DeSantis: Poll” Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/trump-top-pick-among-gop-2024-holds-wide-lead-over-desantis-poll-1782275
2. “Poll discloses Republicans’ preferences for 2024 contest | MENAFN.COM” MENAFN.COM, 26 Feb. 2023, https://menafn.com/1105646850/Poll-discloses-Republicans-preferences-for-2024-contest
3. “Christie can’t seem to find his way over the rainbow, this time in a new Kansas poll” New Jersey Globe | New Jersey Politics, 22 Feb. 2023, https://newjerseyglobe.com/presidential-election/christie-cant-seem-to-find-his-way-over-the-rainbow-this-time-in-a-new-kansas-poll
4. “DeSantis, Trump emerge as top preferred 2024 candidates among GOP voters” msnNOW, 26 Feb. 2023, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/desantis-trump-emerge-as-top-preferred-2024-candidates-among-gop-voters/ar-AA17Xvtx
5. “DeSantis Leads Trump In Early CA 2024 Presidential Election Poll” California Globe, 24 Feb. 2023, https://californiaglobe.com/articles/desantis-leads-trump-in-early-ca-2024-presidential-election-poll/
