DeSantis Falls Behind Charlie Crist in New Poll

Charlie Crist

As the mainstream media and Florida Democrats continue to scrutinize Florida and Governor DeSantis' (R-FL) relaxed policies on COVID-19, the seemingly popular governor has officially fallen behind Democrat challenger Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) in a new gubernatorial poll.

"Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has slipped behind a Democratic gubernatorial rival in a new poll as he faces scrutiny over his handling of the pandemic amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the Sunshine State." - The MSN reported today.

According to a survey conducted by Florida-based firm St. Pete Polls, found that 45 percent of voters said they would vote for Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist, who previously served as governor from 2007 to 2011, while 44 percent said they would back DeSantis.

About 11 percent of the more than 3,900 respondents in the poll, conducted from Monday to Tuesday, said they were still undecided about their choice for governor heading into the 2022 contest.

However, it is important to note that St. Pete Polls has been criticized as not very credible, nor accurate as well because they solely use automated calls when conducting their polls.

This marks the first major poll that boldly forecasts a DeSantis loss in defending his governorship in 2022, as the Floridian previously reported on the earliest gubernatorial poll that showed DeSantis' chances of victory upwards of 90% against Crist and Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried (D-FL).

Voters in the May poll expressed greater optimism that fellow Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried, the state's current agriculture commissioner, would be able to beat DeSantis in 2022. Fried is widely considered the more progressive choice for the Democrat nomination as she has advocated for firearm restrictions and the expansion of marijuana in Florida.

While Republicans are more than happy with DeSantis' performance, even becoming a name in the 2024 presidential conversation, mainstream media has cracked down on Florida's policies on COVID-19 that Democrats assert have boosted case numbers of Coronavirus in Florida.

DeSantis and his new Press Secretary Christina Pushaw fired back at the White House's Press Secretary Jen Psaki for spreading disinformation about Florida's current standing with COVID-19, accusing them of making "baseless" claims.

Jim McCool

Jim is a graduate of Florida State University where he studied Political Science, Religion and Criminology. He has been a reporter for the Floridian since January of 2021 and will start law school in 2024.