Despite having not officially declared any intention to seek the Republican Party's nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is widely regarded as being former President Donald Trump's strongest challenger next year.
Yet in what may come as a blow to the governor's supporters, Breitbart recently reported that DeSantis is losing ground to Trump in his home state.
The website pointed to a poll conducted by Victory Insights between April 6 and April among 1000 likely Florida Republican voters which put the former president eight points ahead of DeSantis.
2024 Florida Republican Primary:
Trump 43% (+8)
DeSantis 35%
Ramaswamy 4%
Haley 3%
Hutchinson 1%
Johnson 0%
.
Head-2-Head:
Trump 47% (+15)
DeSantis 32%.@VictoryPolling, 1,000 LV, 4/6-8https://t.co/HaNHExFifS
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) April 10, 2023
Victory Insights noted that Trump has been on an upward trajectory since this past November when an earlier poll showed DeSantis leading him by 10.9 points.
"Five months later, Trump has retaken the lead in astounding fashion, beating DeSantis by 14.8 points," the research company explained.
"The number of undecided voters has also inched upward, increasing by 5.5% over the past five months," it went on to add.
When examined from a socioeconomic standpoint, Trump's support is disproportionately concentrated among lower income Republicans, 54% of whom back him.
In contrast, only 41% of wealthy GOP members say they favor Trump's candidacy, although he still outperforms DeSantis even among this group.
One curious fact is that while more Republican voters in Florida express a desire to vote for Trump, DeSantis seems to be more popular on a personal level. Whereas 53.3% see Trump in "very positive" terms, 60% feel the same way about DeSantis.
Although the poll identified divisions among Florida Republicans, they do appear to be largely united when it comes to Trump's indictment earlier this month by a New York City grand jury.
They overwhelmingly regard charges brought against the former president by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as being politically motivated, a view held by 87.7% of respondents.
"Many have speculated that Trump’s indictment would increase his chances of winning the nomination in 2024," Victory Insights stated.
"The logic is that Trump’s indictment and subsequent arrest would energize his base, put him back in the spotlight, and force Republican lawmakers to speak out in support of him. So far, that does seem to be the case," it observed.
