Ron DeSantis in good shape in poll with bad news for other Florida Republicans
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis waves to the crowd as he attends an event Friday, March 10, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. (AP Photo/Ron Johnson)

Ron DeSantis
Don't call him a lame duck. Voters still like their Governor.

Florida’s Governor is well above water in a new poll that holds bad news for some other prominent in-state Republicans.

In the latest USA Today/Suffolk University/WSVN-TV phone poll of 500 likely voters conducted between Aug. 7 and Aug. 11, Ron DeSantis enjoys 52% approval against just 43% disapproval.

He derives particular strength from male voters, with a strong 57% favorable rating putting him 20 points above water.

But DeSantis is also close to even with female voters, of whom 46% regard him favorably and 48% disapprove.

He’s also strong in three of four regions of the state.

While DeSantis is only at 42% approval in South Florida, he enjoys 62% approval in North Florida, 52% in West Florida, and 53% in what pollsters call East Florida.

The state’s increasingly Republican composition (the GOP holds a million voter advantage over the Democrats) plays a role in his overall favorable numbers as well.

DeSantis’ 89% approval rating inside his own party makes up for being underwater with independents (with 50% disapproval against 43% approval), and with his predictably paltry approval numbers among Democrats (13% approval, 81% disapproval).

Despite no-party voters and the opposition party opposing DeSantis, the GOP composition of the state means that he’s at or above 50% with every age cohort considered. He’s at 51% with voters under 35 years old, at 55% with those 35-49 years of age, at 51% with those between 50 and 64 years old, and at 50% with senior citizens.

While he has a meager 20% approval rating with Black voters, meanwhile, he’s at 52% with Hispanics and 59% with White voters.

The Governor’s approval ratings contrast favorably to U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, his immediate predecessor in the executive branch mired at 35%. The Suffolk poll also shows a tight presidential race in the state, with Kamala Harris within 5 points of Donald Trump.

But despite a second term that included him leaving the state to run for President during much of last year, other polls show DeSantis is popular. A Fox News survey from June also showed him with 52% approval.

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


One comment

  • Kamala is Brat🥥🌴🥥

    August 13, 2024 at 11:18 am

    Quack! Quack! If he acts like a lame duck, and looks like a lame duck …… put a fork in him his political future is cooked. I like my lame duck with hoisin sauce!

    Reply

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