Ron DeSantis faces 30-point poll deficit in once-friendly Utah

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Has the buzz in the Beehive State moved away from Ron DeSantis? A freshly released poll of Utah Republicans suggests just that.

The Noble Predictive Insights (NPI) survey of 301 Republicans shows DeSantis with 18% support, 30 points behind former President Donald Trump. Former Vice President Mike Pence has 10% support, meanwhile.

“Our data shows that even in Utah — once a bastion of conservative resistance to Trump — the former President is gaining ground. DeSantis has struggled to find a compelling message or excite the grassroots, and many Republicans rallied to Trump in the aftermath of his indictments. There’s still time for this Primary to shift, but Trump’s position has clearly improved,” claims NPI Chief of Research David Byler.

The survey suggests a narrowed field wouldn’t help the Florida Governor. A polling memo accompanying the results notes that “even in a one-on-one contest, Trump retains a strong lead. In a head-to-head matchup with DeSantis, the former President stays at 48%, and DeSantis earns only 29%.”

Furthermore, “Trump’s lead overall is powered by his traditional base. He wins 57% of Republican men, 66% of Republicans with a high school degree or less, 65% of self-identified rural Republicans, 88% of Republicans who say they’re more of a supporter of Trump than the GOP, (and) 58% who do not want Sen. Mitt Romney to run for another term.”

Utah has decided to caucus, which could change the dynamic from the previously slated Primary. But this poll shows that a state DeSantis bet on early may not come through in the end.

Previous polls were stronger for the Governor.

A survey from the Hinckley Institute and Deseret News showed Trump with just a 5-point lead over DeSantis, 29% to 24%.

Meanwhile, DeSantis has proclaimed Florida’s affinity for the state, which residents here typically don’t think about much. At the Utah Republican Convention in April, he contended his home state is the “Utah of the Southeast.”

“Utah is one of the best governed, best-performing states in the United States. You have a sound economy, you promote a good business environment, you stress the importance of education, you have fiscal and budgetary stability and you have safe communities,” DeSantis contended.

“And I think underlying the success of Utah has been a commitment to freedom like Florida. Utah proves that freedom works,” DeSantis added. “Now over the last few years since I’ve been Governor, people have looked to Florida for leadership in a variety of different ways.”

DeSantis also said he “was recently visiting with some folks in Iowa and people said, you know, Iowa, they’re really the Florida of the Midwest with all the conservative stuff they’re doing. Well, let me just tell you maybe it’s a little secret, but it might just be that Florida is the Utah of the Southeast.”