A.G. Gancarski
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to be talked up as a presidential candidate but his viability may depend on him becoming better known.
The Hill reported on an exclusive-to-them Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll that showed former President Donald Trump dominating DeSantis in a field in which Trump faced a competitive 2024 Primary. Of registered Republicans polled, 47% liked Trump and just 10% preferred DeSantis.
The poll, conducted Oct. 26 through 28, showcased another metric unfavorable to DeSantis, regarding his performance in what appears to be an increasingly unlikely Trump-free GOP field in 2024.
In this survey, former Vice President Mike Pence leads DeSantis 23% to 21%, with Sen. Ted Cruz further back at 12%.
Despite coming in just short of Pence overall, there is room for encouragement for DeSantis, as he apparently has not reached his ceiling.
Pollster Mark Penn told the Hill “DeSantis continues to strengthen despite limited recognition as the emerging next choice.” And it appears that emergence is happening. DeSantis shows signs of improvement from the previous Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll from September.
Pence led DeSantis 32% to 20% in a survey without Trump. The poll with the former President showed DeSantis getting just 9% support against Trump’s 58%.
Other polls suggest DeSantis is making inroads in primary states.
In New Hampshire, that ever-pivotal first state on the Republican calendar, a new survey from the University of New Hampshire says Florida’s Governor currently has higher favorable ratings with potential 2024 GOP Primary voters than Trump. DeSantis is at +62 net favorability, the highest in the field of potential candidates tested. Trump came in at +54.
Trump has said he isn’t worried about a DeSantis Primary challenge.
“If I faced him, I’d beat him like I would beat everyone else,” Trump told Yahoo! Finance, noting DeSantis likely would stand down.
DeSantis has been coy when asked about 2024. He has called the chatter about it “nonsense.”
“There’s a lot of huge issues. It’s way down the road. It’s not anything that I’m planning for,” he said during a Fox News appearance weeks back.
The 2024 field could be crowded with or without DeSantis. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are among those who may be planning to run.
