Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ national profile is continuing to soar and Donald Trump should be concerned.
A recent poll reported DeSantis leading Trump by 23 points among a list of potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates.
The USA Today- Suffolk University poll reported that 56 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters prefer DeSantis, while only 33 percent would support Trump. More than 60 percent said they want a nominee who will continue Trump’s policies but is not Trump, while 31 percent want the former president to run, according to The Hill.
“Republicans and conservative independents increasingly want Trumpism without Trump,” said David Paleologos, the director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center.
The poll also found Trump’s favorable rating among Republicans dropping from 75 percent in October to 64 percent in December. His unfavorable rating has also risen from 18 percent to 23 percent in that time.
Pollsters found President Biden leading a hypothetical head-to-head match-up with Trump, 47 percent to 40 percent. DeSantis led Biden in the poll by about 4 points, 47 percent to 43 percent.
Almost two-thirds of GOP and GOP-leaning voters want DeSantis to run for president in 2024, while only 24 percent do not want him to.
Despite Trump’s early entrance to the 2024 primary field the former president has seen his support diminish since the announcement.
Republican donors have pledged to support other candidates they feel stand a higher chance of defeating Joe Biden while others have blamed Trump for this year’s disappointing midterm results.
