Republicans around the country (both donors and voters) are beginning the process of deciding which Presidential candidate they will send to represent the party on the general election ballot.
Despite names such as former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (R), Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and former President Donald Trump (R) being the only marquee declared candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, it appears that at this moment in time, the race is going to really be between Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and President Trump.
Gov. DeSantis has not announced, yet.
A lot of things can change between now and the Republican National Convention. Candidates could get in, drop out, or even get indicted, as we’ve seen with President Trump.
Despite DeSantis not yet declaring and Trump facing charges, Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy has released their most recent poll and it doesn't come as a surprise that the Florida Governor is beating President Trump in a hypothetical head-to-head contest.
After all, Gov. DeSantis won the state by a huge 20-point margin last election cycle.
According to their March polling of 507 likely Republican voters, Gov. DeSantis defeats Trump in the state of Florida by only 5 points (44% to 39%). There are more undecided voters (12%) than there are voters who plan to vote for candidates other than Trump or DeSantis (5%).
Moreover, DeSantis has increased his approval ratings since winning reelection (+4, 59% approve). His approval numbers are the highest they’ve been since March of 2019.
In almost all voting blocs, DeSantis has more than a majority favorable view of his job as Governor. The only voting blocs in which he does not reach a majority threshold include Southeast Floridians (48% approval), black Floridians (29% approval), and Democrats as a whole (24% approval).
Central Florida, North Florida, Tampa Bay, and Southwest Florida all remain strongholds for the Governor as 57% or better of those regions approve the Governor’s efforts.
Republicans in the state have stood firm alongside the DeSantis with a 90% approval rating, alongside an impressive 59% of support from Independents.
The biggest shock, however, comes from the fact that only 71% of Republican primary voters in the state of Florida have a favorable opinion of former President Trump, compared to an 87% favorability rating for Gov. DeSantis.
It is worth mentioning that this is just one poll, and it happens to be in a state in which Gov. DeSantis is naturally popular due to it being his home base.
In just about all of the nationwide polls according to Real Clear Politics, Trump blows DeSantis out of the water as some pollsters have the former President defeating DeSantis by as many as 33 points.
But the idea that Florida Republicans have such a low favorability rating for the former President at 71% could sound the alarm for the Trump campaign.
It is important to note that the poll has a margin of error of +/-4.4 percent.
