A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis may still be interested in running for President in 2028. But new polling says Florida voters may want a different option.
A survey released exclusively to Florida Politics by Fabrizio Lee & Associates sampling 600 likely Republican Primary voters shows that Vice President JD Vance would defeat the Governor 47% to 33%.
This is the first poll of Florida Republican voters’ intentions in the next election since President Donald Trump and Vance were elected last year. It reveals that a near majority of them are ready to turn the page on the Governor.
The new polling tracks with national polls that show DeSantis is an afterthought for Republican Primary voters as they consider the post-Trump era in just a few years.
At a straw poll conducted at last month’s Conservative Political Action Conference, DeSantis mustered 7% support, finishing far behind Vance’s 61% and also behind Steve Bannon, whose 12% support surprised many observers.
More traditionally scientific polls have shown DeSantis far behind Vance as well.
An Echelon Insights survey conducted between Feb. 10 and Feb. 13 found the Governor of Florida at 10% support, 29 points behind Vance.
A January survey from McLaughlin & Associates showed DeSantis at 8%, behind Vance and Donald Trump Jr.
DeSantis was also at 8% in an Echelon Insights poll of the theoretical contest conducted last year, with Vance nearly 30 points ahead of him.
Though he failed to win a single county in Iowa, the sole state in which he was an active candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination, DeSantis has left the door open for a future run. He has said he hasn’t “ruled anything out” and that he will “see what the future holds.”
Meanwhile, President Trump has said it’s “too early” to declare Vance as his heir apparent. But the latest Florida poll supplements other data showing Republican voters are strongly behind the Vice President should he run for the top job in 2028.
2 comments
Along for the Ride
March 4, 2025 at 10:43 am
Id like to vote for someone that will unite the people of America. I am tired of someone running and winning and saying that half of the country and their views and opinions don’t matter because they didn’t win. Just because their candidate didn’t win doesn’t mean all of those American’s don’t have good ideas or opinions. It would be better for everyone if the person who won sat down with the people who DIDNT vote for them and ask how they can help.
Ocean Joe
March 4, 2025 at 11:00 am
Uh oh! Our ‘wildly popular’ governor is losing to JD in his own backyard. But not to worry, Ron and wife had breakfast with the Don at Mar-A-Lago to change his mind about endorsing Byron Donalds, probably claimed it would be a diversity hire vs. nepotism, knowing that would move the needle.
In the end, Republicans will vote the way Don tells them to vote, and will ignore collapsing markets and rising prices and destroyed alliances.