Drew Wilson
A month ago, polling showed Gov. Ron DeSantis was the most popular Republican in Florida. Today, his numbers are even rosier.
According to a poll commissioned by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, 58 percent of Florida voters say they approve of the new Guv six weeks into his administration.
The balance isn’t too down on him, either. Nearly three in ten voters are still in “wait and see” mode while just 13 percent have decided he isn’t their guy. That balances out to a plus-45 approval rating for the Northeast Florida Republican.
“From the day he was elected, Governor Ron DeSantis has worked on a common agenda with us to keep the momentum going in Florida,” said Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the Florida Chamber.
“From appointing three new Florida Supreme Court justices dedicated to upholding the Constitution, to strengthening educational opportunities, Governor DeSantis is leading and working to secure Florida’s future.”
Wilson’s opinion is apparently the prevailing one, as the new results represent a double-digit surge in the weeks since a Mason-Dixon Florida poll showed Sunshine State voters split 48-17 in favor of the state’s new chief exec.
Similar to that poll, the Florida Chamber found DeSantis’ popularity isn’t coupled with that of his most prominent election season backer, President Donald Trump.
POTUS notched a negative-4 mostly along party lines, though NPAs leaned toward disapproval by a 16-point margin. Nancy Pelosi was a further 10 points underwater, with 58 percent of Florida voters knocking the second-time U.S. House Speaker and 38 percent approving.
Partisan politics aside, the Chamber found that a majority think the state is headed in the “right direction.”
The national food fight over the border wall was of the least concern to voters, who said they’d be happy see the state Legislature to focus on education, jobs, the environment and health care.
The poll was conducted by Cherry Communications Feb. 5-10 via live interview phone calls. It took responses from 609 likely voters including 245 Democrats, 244 Republicans and 120 other-party voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
