Another pollster has Gov. Ron DeSantis up by double digits on Democrat Charlie Crist. But Victory Insights found Florida Republicans split on whether he or Donald Trump should be the GOP nominee for President.
The polling outfit, which has an office in Naples, found 54% of likely Florida voters plan to vote for DeSantis’ re-election. More than 41% plan to support Crist, the Democratic nominee and former Republican Governor. That leaves close to 5% of voters undecided but that’s not enough to offer Crist a chance even if all were to swing his way.
The lead importantly puts DeSantis’ lead outside the poll’s 4.8-percentage-point margin of error, and nearly puts that much distance between the incumbent and the 50% mark ensuring victory.
That’s consistent with other recent polling, which as the Nov. 8 General Election drew closer showed DeSantis’ lead in the race widening. The polling firm ran simulations, and the survey predicts the Republican will ultimately win by nearly 13-point margin once all votes are counted.
Pollsters conducted the survey between Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, closing entries just a week before Election Day. A total of 500 responses were included, and the sample is based on a Republican-leaning electorate that’s 43% Republican, 38% Democrat and 19% no-party or third-party voters.
DeSantis appears buoyed by strong approval for his performance in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Nearly 58% believe the sitting Governor did a good job following the storm, which made landfall on Sept. 28. Just 23% do not feel that way, while about 20% had no opinion on the matter.
But notably, the optimistic forecast for DeSantis’ re-election odds do not mean he has such a clear path to the Republican nomination for President in two years, even in his home state.
Victory Insights also polled likely Republican voters in Florida on who they would prefer to be the GOP nominee for the White House in 2024, and presented the options of Trump and DeSantis. Both came in around 50%. Indeed, a close look showed Trump as the choice of 50.4% of voters with DeSantis at 49.6% but that tight gap falls well within the poll’s error margin.
Pollsters also asked Florida Democrats if they want President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee in 2024. About 55% would like the President to seek a second term, but 45% would like someone else carrying the standard for the party.
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