National poll suggests Ron DeSantis may be best 2024 opponent for Joe Biden

desantis v biden
Are Republicans ready to move on from Trump?

New polling shows Gov. Ron DeSantis and not former President Donald Trump may be better suited to taking on President Joe Biden in 2024.

A survey from YouGov shows that if a hypothetical national General Election were held now, DeSantis would take 36% of support from “adult citizens” polled, two points behind Biden.

DeSantis was ahead of Biden with Republicans, 85% to 3%, and with Independents, 30% to 24%. Registered voters preferred Biden to DeSantis, 33% to 30%. Biden took 84% of Democrats, meanwhile, with 3% preferring DeSantis.

Biden was ahead of Trump by three points, 40% to 37%, with adult citizens, with Trump underperforming compared to DeSantis with various demographics.

Registered voters preferred Biden over Trump by five points, 45% to 40%. Trump was up with independent voters, 33% to 28%, and with Republican voters, 83% to 3%. Trump did take 5% of Democrats, 2% more than DeSantis, but Biden’s 86% maintained the 81-point spread.

In a hypothetical three-way run where Trump ran as an Independent against Republican DeSantis and Democrat Biden, the former President’s 18% was good for third place among Registered Voters, five points behind DeSantis. In that theoretical scenario, Biden was preferred by 43% of RVs.

Republicans would vote for nominee DeSantis over a third-party Trump. Forty-six percent of them said they’d vote for the Governor, 37% for the former President, and 3% would pick Biden.

This is the latest survey suggesting DeSantis is making inroads with Republican voters, a significant subset of whom appear to be wobblier on Trump’s third campaign as time moves on from his presidency.

Another poll conducted by Yahoo and YouGov between Aug. 18 and Aug. 22 shows Trump getting just 49% in a 2024 head-to-head GOP Primary duel with DeSantis. DeSantis received 31% in the survey, with an additional 21% not sure whether they preferred the former President or the Florida Governor.

This survey added a third element, Wyoming U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney. Remarkably, Trump polls better when Cheney is added to the hypothetical. He drew 50% support from respondents, with 32% for DeSantis (also +1 from a Cheney-free field), and just 6% for Cheney.

Though DeSantis didn’t seriously challenge Trump in either scenario overall, independent voters who leaned toward voting in the 2024 Republican Primary did prefer the Governor whether Cheney was in play or not.

In a two-person field, 38% of Independents liked DeSantis, with 36% picking Trump.

In the Cheney-inclusive three-person field, DeSantis’ lead stretched, with 41% of Independents preferring him over Trump, who drew 37%, and Cheney, who mustered just 5% support from that subgroup.

National polls have generally shown Trump atop the field, but the former President struggling to hit 50% here suggests vulnerability if DeSantis and he both run for the presidency in 2024.

Recent state polling reinforces that read. A University of California, Berkeley poll of Golden State voters showed DeSantis down just 11 points in a hypothetical California Republican Primary. Closer to home, a University of North Florida poll suggests DeSantis could defeat Trump in a 2024 Republican Primary in Florida.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


28 comments

  • Charlie Crist

    August 28, 2022 at 7:01 am

    Trump was biggest crook in American history…his supporters were deplorable greasy greasys, degenerate stupid stupids, derelict nasty nastys.

    • Impeach Biden

      August 28, 2022 at 8:01 am

      81 million voted (supposedly) voted for the most incompetent administration since the Jimmy Carter era (another Democrat). That’s a lot of greasy, greasy degenerate stupid, stupids, derelict nasty nastys.

      • Bill

        August 28, 2022 at 11:18 am

        Then there were the people who voted for trump. Go figure. We need better choices but that seems unlikely these days.

        As for incompetent, they’re actually doing what Governments are supposed to do and if you don’t like what they’re doing, just remember, elections have consequences so if nothing else, at least 81 million people are happy.

      • Charlie Crist

        August 28, 2022 at 11:56 am

        Trump was one of the worst presidents in USA history. Nice try scapegoating…epic fail.

      • tjb

        August 28, 2022 at 4:18 pm

        Living the lie!

  • Ocean Joe

    August 28, 2022 at 9:56 am

    Desantis must wait until the cheeseburgers take Donald out.

    • Impeach Biden

      August 28, 2022 at 10:06 am

      Trump runs circles around Dementia Joe. Joe thinks he is on a four year vacation wearing his leather jacket and Ray Bans. He reads the teleprompter when the person behind the curtain tells him to.

      • Charlie Crist

        August 28, 2022 at 11:58 am

        Trump was a loser… you’ve lost your mind..just no insight.

      • Ron DeSantis Sucks

        August 29, 2022 at 6:27 pm

        Trump drinks a lot of covfefe and eats lots of hamberders so he can remember person, woman, man, camera, TV. Truly the sign of a stable genius.

      • Bill

        August 30, 2022 at 7:49 am

        trump doesn’t look like he runs anywhere but metaphorically speaking, he does spend a lot of time running around in circles.

    • marylou

      August 28, 2022 at 9:07 pm

      Would you like fries with that ketchup, Sir?

  • Hope

    August 28, 2022 at 10:39 am

    The let’s get Trump clown show fails every time. If Democrats would spend more time and energy put into Humanity rather than trying to take down someone who is the best humanitarian they would have some credibility. They will lose big and they will not recover for generations.

    I believe an Attorney General, FBI leadership and minions, will face going to jail for a long time. Biden will be impeached and also he and Hunter will be brought up on charges of treason. Putin will be brought up on charges of war crimes. The correction is coming.

    • Charlie Crist

      August 28, 2022 at 12:00 pm

      None of what you said will happen. Trump is a crook. You should be ashamed for defending such a man..

      • Impeach Biden

        August 28, 2022 at 12:05 pm

        Looks like Charlie Crist would rather argue on a message board than campaign. I guess Charlie knows an azz whoppin is coming his way in November.

    • James Madison

      August 28, 2022 at 12:17 pm

      Trump a humanitarian? That’s the funniest line I’ve read in months. You are calling a guy who stole money from his own charity to buy personal items like a painting of himself a humanitarian???. Stole top secret documents including nuclear secrets a humanitarian??? LOLOLOLOLOL.

  • marylou

    August 28, 2022 at 2:39 pm

    It will be interesting to see how MAGAs react to Trump being pushed out of the way by deMINI-tRUMP after Orange Stable Genius got him elected gov in 2018. Especially interesting if loyal Trumpers realize before November that a 2022 desantis win means it’s all over for Lord Ketchup.

    • Impeach Biden

      August 28, 2022 at 3:51 pm

      You miss Andrew Gillum don’t you?

      • Charlie Crist

        August 28, 2022 at 6:10 pm

        You miss Fat Cammack face sit..scrub.. gnarly rub?🍩💋

  • PeterH

    August 28, 2022 at 3:01 pm

    Neither Ron DeSantis or Joe Biden will be running for President in 2024!

    • Bill

      August 29, 2022 at 7:45 am

      That would be my thought as well. I doubt desantis’ tough guy shtick will translate nationally and trump will find some way to shoot himself in the foot yet again. Someone less polarizing like Tim Scott maybe.

      • Ron DeSantis Sucks

        August 29, 2022 at 6:28 pm

        God, we can hope. I just want normal Republicans again, please.

  • Cathy Michels

    August 28, 2022 at 4:40 pm

    Watching the cult switch their flags from trump to desantis. Both are dictators promoting white Christian nationalism and indoctrination of children into that as teachers resign and non certified teachers are hired. Appalled in Fl

    • Impeach Biden

      August 28, 2022 at 7:19 pm

      The cult now would rather not work. Just look around. Free loaders everywhere and getting something from the government so they stay home. This is your Amerika not mine.

      • Charlie Crist

        August 29, 2022 at 8:25 pm

        Go ahead and get you a free load of Fat Cammack lard azz buddy. She give you hideous pounding with 500 pounder🍩💋

  • Y.O. Ming

    August 28, 2022 at 7:08 pm

    “Are Republicans ready to move on from Trump?”
    Ask the folks in Wyoming. And then dig into your dirt box of epithets with which to label all those people, whom you do not know, don’t want to know, don’t think should be Americans because they are not as worthy as you, and don’t actually believe are human beings, when it comes right down to it, and are therefore expendable in your endless quest for the Democratic utopia.

  • DumDon and RonRong sitting in a tree

    August 29, 2022 at 7:55 pm

    Gonna be good times watching Ron and Don slug it out. If not nominated, don’t put it above Trumpy to hand the election to Biden just to see Ron lose. He’ll convince his faithful cult to do whatever he says.

  • David In Shoreline

    August 29, 2022 at 8:24 pm

    Trump did a lot of awesome things. And the deep state screwed him over big time. That being said, I am ready to support Governor DeSantis for President. Governor DeSantis is awesome and will be an even awesomer President.

    • Charlie Crist

      August 29, 2022 at 8:27 pm

      Trump did nothing but sit on his balls and insult people for 4 years while the economy overheated. Also many crimes. Deep state my azz .he did it to himself. Shame on you for standing up for that crook with lies.

Comments are closed.


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