‘I just started running’: Ron DeSantis knocks down initial round of bad polls

Casey and Ron Desantis Iowa AP
'We're actually in really good shape in the long run.'

Florida’s Governor is unfazed by surveys showing him trailing Donald Trump in early 2024 GOP Primary states.

Ron DeSantis told Brian Kilmeade he’s only just begun his campaign and that his campaign is in “really good shape” despite being down by double digits in pivotal early states.

“I just started running. I mean, a lot of people didn’t know I was going to run or weren’t sure. So I think we’re actually in really good shape in the long run,” DeSantis said. “We’ve got a great plan and I think we’re going to be very strong in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, which is what you need to do if you’re going to be able to win these things.”

In Iowa, the Race to the White House polling average shows Trump ahead, 55% to 23%.

In New Hampshire, Trump is up 42% to 20%, with Gov. Chris Sununu’s 14% good for a competitive third place. And in South Carolina, Trump leads 41% to 21% for DeSantis, with former Gov. Nikki Haley within striking distance of second place, at 14%.

DeSantis’ political operation is telling donors the Governor is “better liked” than Trump, and that he’s only losing “left-of-center” voters. Perhaps public polls will reflect that in time.

Meanwhile, DeSantis is skeptical about the polling.

“Some of these same pollsters that are putting some of this stuff out, they were putting out polls in my re-election saying I was only up by one or two points and I won by 20. So I take some of this stuff with a grain of salt. I think there’s an effort to try to create narratives with polls for different people’s agendas.”

The Governor said he believes attacks from Trump, Democrats and “the corporate press” belie the polls and indicate he should be taken more seriously than these public surveys suggest.

“Trump has run almost $20 million in negative ads attacking me, you know, with frivolous and false smears. The corporate press is attacking me more than anybody else. The Democrats are attacking me. They would not do that if they didn’t think I was a threat,” DeSantis said.

“If they thought that I wasn’t, you know, in shape to really win this thing, they would just be ignoring me, but they’re not, they’re coming after me. I’m the one that’s taken most of the fire.”

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. He writes for the New York Post and National Review also, with previous work in the American Conservative and Washington Times and a 15+ year run as a columnist in Folio Weekly. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


14 comments

  • Anna in FL

    June 5, 2023 at 11:30 am

    He is a threat…to Democracy. He doesn’t believe in the first amendment among others

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      June 5, 2023 at 2:28 pm

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  • PeterH

    June 5, 2023 at 11:54 am

    Ron DeSantis’s statement:

    “I just started running…”

    Is not truthful and is not his first lie! Ron DeSantis has been on the 2024 Republican Klown Bus for the past 20 months!

    Republicans are America’s biggest problem!

    Vote all Republicans out of office!

  • Earl Pitts American

    June 5, 2023 at 1:07 pm

    Good afternoon dook 4 brains lefty’s,
    Go ahead with your cheap shots at The Ronald now while you still can.
    Come January 2024 a whole new day new way will open up for all dook 4 brains lefty’s.
    Your 8 year sentence without parole of “screaming at the sky” shall begin in January of 2024.
    Great news for America, BUT too bad for all you big mouth, triffaling @55, dook 4 brains lefty’s.
    Truer more elequant words of “Pure D” wisdom have never been written or spoken as my, Earl Pitts Americans golden words above.
    Thank you America,
    Earl Pitts “Hey Earl’s Voting 4 The Ronald” American

    ***PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT***
    *special wisdom for all dook 4 brains lefty’s: you should grow the ef up asap and convert to conservatism now. You really dont want to be in the looser bracket for 8 long years. Lefty’s will be shuned from 2024 – 2032 and basically being a lefty will be a turn off to all heteros. So if you are a dook 4 brains lefty that is also hetero you wont be “getting any” from 2024 -2032 as you will be gross and shuned. So heteros you must turn now. ALL HETEROS SHOULD MARK THEIR CALANDARS TO GO ASAP AND CHANGE POLITICAL PARTIES ASAP non heteros need not apply for a change of political party. America would perfer you please retain your dook 4 brains lefty status fot the 8 years of The Ronald.*

    • Ocean Joe

      June 5, 2023 at 2:58 pm

      Mama mia, that’s a spicy meatball!

    • Earl Pitts is a Pedophile

      June 5, 2023 at 3:34 pm

      Earl Pitts is a Convicted Sex Offender who is in the State of Florida’s database for Sexual Predators.

      He should be in prison, and every day he posts here is another day he’s a threat to your children.

      04/03/2019
      Lewd, Lascivious batt sex w/victim 12-15 years old; F.S. 800.04(4)(a)

  • Terri

    June 5, 2023 at 1:13 pm

    DeSantis needs to connect with reality. Nobody likes this guy.

  • Joe

    June 5, 2023 at 1:52 pm

    Jeb! 2.0

    Florida politicians are proven losers on the national stage, and Lil Ronnie will be no different.

  • Cuckolded By KKKasey

    June 5, 2023 at 2:25 pm

    Filthy Christians cosplaying legislators is the typical grift to squeeze money (salaries, PAC covering expenses, housing by the taxpayers) to cover their lack of earning ability.

    JEALOUSY of Disney’s cash-printing magic led KKKasey to bite off more than she can swallow.

    Back to Dunedin; maybe they need a bookkeeper.

    • Dont Say FLA

      June 5, 2023 at 5:34 pm

      Casey is actively working to sink Rhonda. Her aim for this campaign is to become Mrs Musk. She’s the leaker.

  • Dont Say FLA

    June 5, 2023 at 3:57 pm

    Rhonda just started running, if a year ago is “just started.” Dumbass Rhonda. He just announced, but he been running Florida into the ground trying to make a lane for himself in Trumpism. Dumbass Rhonda.

  • Just started running

    June 6, 2023 at 7:39 am

    Ron says he just started running. Trump seems to have made the smarter choice, starting early and taking a commanding lead. Ron’s argument for his low poll numbers is just a confession that he isn’t good at strategy, having never needed to strategerize about anything at all given a supermajority GOP state government to “work” with, and given federal tax dollars redistributed from well-to-do, liberal run states to poor, conservative led states like Florida that would implode without all the assistance from the bleeding heart libs up North. You know why people retire to Florida? It’s to get some of their own federal taxes returned to them. And it’s not cold in Florida. And there you have it.

    • He means his weight loss

      June 6, 2023 at 8:25 am

      When Ron says he just started running, he is talking about his exercise program. He’s avoiding Dairy Queen Blizzards and he’s jogging. Notice how he’s lost weight. That is because he has disdain for obesity. He is a fat shamer. He, of course, exempted himself from that, like with the other stuff like Resign to Run and Florida’s Human Trafficking laws. But yes, if you are overweight, Ron thinks you’re an ugly pig. That is why he lost weight. He was an ugly pig, so he lost weight. Problem is, he is still a ugly pig. Ron’s kind of ugly goes all the way to the bone. He could be 140lbs or 400lbs. He just as ugly either way. Ugly, ugly Ron. He’s a jogger now. He lost some weight. But he is just as ugly as ever.

  • John Barron

    June 7, 2023 at 8:21 am

    Meatball continues his endless parade of lies and misinformation!!! America deserves better!!!

Comments are closed.


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