Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t putting too much stock in Presidential Primary polls that find him significantly behind Donald Trump.
In an interview with NBC News Monday, the Florida Governor said the presidential race was a “marathon, not a sprint.” He diminished the importance of Trump’s massive leads while arguing that he can carry swing states better than the former President.
“I think if you look at the swing states, Biden beats Trump in the swing states and I beat Biden handily in the swing states. That’s ultimately the election right there,” DeSantis declared.
The Governor went on to name various swing states, including Florida.
“Who’s going to win Georgia, Arizona? Obviously, I’ll win Florida if I’m the candidate. In Texas, Wisconsin, those states you’ve got to be able to do that. If you don’t have a path to do that, then nominating doesn’t make sense.”
Though it’s still early in the calendar, with many months to go before the first Primaries and the Iowa caucuses, GOP partisans seem to believe nominating Trump is a likelihood.
The Race to the White House polling average shows Trump up over DeSantis in a crowded field, 53% to 22%. The new Morning Consult survey shows the widest gap since tracking began for the 2024 GOP race, with Trump’s 57% tripling DeSantis’ 19%. That survey also shows Trump ahead of Biden in a General Election, but DeSantis behind the President.
So it’s uncertain if DeSantis’ contention that he’s a better General Election candidate is carrying water with GOP registrants polled.
“There’s other polls in the Primary. I’ve grown. I think at the end of the day, you know, this is a marathon, not a sprint. We’re doing everything we need to do in these early states,” DeSantis added.
The Governor will be in one of those early states Tuesday, with a town hall event in Hollis, New Hampshire. Despite early investments of time and treasure in the Granite State, DeSantis is down by more than 30 points in each of the two most recent polls of the race.
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