Former President Donald Trump has taken a commanding lead in the Florida presidential primary, outpacing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by a significant margin of nearly 40 points. The latest survey conducted among a crowded Republican primary field in Florida revealed Trump’s overwhelming support at 60%, while DeSantis trailed behind at a mere 21%.
This surge for Trump follows a series of endorsements from key Republican state officials in Florida, who shifted their allegiance from DeSantis to Trump over the weekend, as reported by The Daily Caller on Tuesday. Even prominent figures like Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida threw their support behind the former president, leading the state party to abandon its loyalty pledge.
Dr. Michael Binder, the faculty director and professor of political science at the Public Opinion Research Lab, expressed concern for DeSantis, highlighting that despite his historically high approval in the polls, losing ground in his home state does not bode well for his national campaign.
In a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, Trump continued to dominate, leading DeSantis by a substantial 20 points. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley trailed behind the governor with 6% support, while former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie received 2%, and conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy had 1%, according to the survey.
Governor DeSantis responded to the wave of endorsements for Trump, emphasizing that voting hasn’t yet commenced and there is still time to secure support for his presidential bid. DeSantis’s campaign provided a donor memo outlining its strategy, anticipating a one-on-one primary battle with Trump as the race heads into March.
Despite his previous endorsements by 99 GOP state lawmakers and a significant victory in the 2022 midterms, nearly all of Florida’s Republican congressional delegation endorsed Trump, while Laurel Lee stood by DeSantis.
The University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab conducted the survey, involving 788 registered Republican primary voters, from October 23 to November 4, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.77%. As of now, Trump has not issued a response to the request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
