While many on the left cheered Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's move to indict former President Trump earlier this year, some observers say the move has backfired.

They include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently argued that far from hurting Trump's popularity, Bragg's indictment has "elevated" the former president. 

Governor: Indictment generated "a lot of sympathy" for Trump

According to Florida Politics contributor A.G. Gancarski, DeSantis made the claim on Sunday during an appearance on Fox News' "Mediabuzz."

"Look, I think, at the end of the day, the Bragg indictment just elevated him and it wasn’t so much that people were doing it because he was indicted," the governor told host Howard Kurtz.

"I think a lot of people, including me, believe that it was a miscarriage of justice," DeSantis continued, adding that the indictment was "dominating the media coverage" and generating "a lot of sympathy."

The 2024 hopeful later downplayed polls showing that he lags well behind Trump with Republican Party primary voters.

DeSantis says he will focus on Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina

"We always knew with these national polls that that was a sugar high, wasn’t anything we were too concerned about either way," DeSantis said while insisting that he will focus on state races in "Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina."

Chris Stirewalt is an elections analyst with the American Enterprise Institute, and he told Reuters last week that DeSantis needs "a win in the first three primaries" with Iowa being "his best bet."

That may prove to be a tough assignment, however, as there are indications that Trump is even winning in the governor's home state.

A Mainstreet Research survey carried out between June 27 and July 1 gave him a 20-point lead over DeSantis with Florida voters.

Trump got another boost after being indicted in federal court last month

Meanwhile, there is growing evidence to support DeSantis' belief that Trump's legal problems have been boosting his campaign.

NBC News reported last month that a Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies poll showed Trump gained in popularity after he was indicted in federal court on 37 counts relating to his handling of classified documents.

Jeff Horwitt is a Democratic pollster with Hart Research Associates, and he was quoted as saying that Republican voters are "sticking with Trump post-federal indictment."

What's more, he noted how "there are several signs that his support is growing or others are losing ground, particularly Ron DeSantis."