A recent poll of Floridians conducted by Suffolk University holds some hugely good news for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, news that could be bad for former President Donald Trump if he plans on running again in 2024.
According to the poll, Floridians now back Governor DeSantis by 8 points. As Interactive Polls, one of the best Twitter accounts for keeping up with the way the political winds are blowing, tweeted out:
🚨 FLORIDA POLL By Suffolk University
FL SENATE
(R) Marco Rubio 45% (+4)
(D) Val Demings 41%
FL GOVERNOR
(R) Ron DeSantis 48% (+7)
(D) Charlie Crist 41%
2024 FL GOP Primary
Ron DeSantis 48% (+8)
Donald Trump 40%
That’s big news for DeSantis for two reasons. The first is that he’s up by 7 points, a commanding lead for a Republican, against his gubernatorial opponent, Charlie Crist. While he’ll have to keep campaigning and not make a major mistake before November, the race remains his to lose.
The other reason is that it shows his strategy of using high-profile moves, such as shipping a few dozen illegal immigrants from Venezuela up to Martha’s Vineyard, is working and making him the top dog in the GOP, potentially even displacing Trump.
And, though DeSantis will probably do better in Florida than other states when compared against Trump because it’s his state and people there know him and know about him in a way that a low-info GOP voter in other states might not, it’s important to note that this poll represents a tremendous swing in opinion among Floridians, at least on the Trump vs. DeSantis front.
Back in January of 2022, when the same Trump vs. DeSantis question was asked to Florida voters, Trump won 47 to 40, or by 7 points. Now, after DeSantis’ many media-grabbing moves, DeSantis is up by 8 points, a massive 15-point swing in just over half a year.
David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, summed up what the poll probably means quite well. In his words:
“This doesn’t necessarily mean DeSantis would lead in any other GOP primary state. But it is one data point suggesting a shift in preferences from GOP voters away from Trump and toward DeSantis from Republicans who know both potential combatants quite well.“
And the reason for DeSantis’ relative popularity might be found in another response to the poll, rather than just being the results of his media stunts. That reason is that, in a fight against Biden, DeSantis has a far more comfortable lead than Trump: DeSantis won 52 percent to 44 percent, whereas Trump only won by three points, 47 to 44.
So, as DeSantis seems the safer choice for 2024 assuming that Biden runs again, GOP voters might be drifting toward him in the hope that he’ll be the one that can actually take on Biden and win, even if they would prefer Trump in a vacuum.Kurt Schlichter summed up that view quite well in a recent Townhall op-ed, saying:
The GOP base loves only one thing more than Donald Trump, and that’s winning. Ron DeSantis is a proven winner. Donald Trump has the entire axis of evil gunning for him. The GOP could very well offer The Donald a gold watch and a handshake once they think it over.
Or not.
But one thing is undeniable. Ron DeSantis is the best positioned to beat Trump of any Republican who might run. And, unlike Trump, he has no firm ceiling for votes in the general. If Trump wins it will be a squeaker – it’s just a function of how many losers hate him. DeSantis has no such baggage.
We’ll see how things go. But, as for now, it looks like the GOP might be shifting toward becoming DeSantis’ party rather than Trump’s.
By: TheAmericanTribune.com
