Ron DeSantis has gained nine points on Donald Trump in recent Iowa polling, according to Trump’s favorite pollster.
In McLaughlin and Associates polling in the field May 23 through May 25, as DeSantis launched his campaign, the Florida Governor was behind Trump in a crowded field, 50% to 25%.
While 25 points is a daunting deficit, it’s a much better position for the Florida Governor than the 34-point hole he was in a month ago. In April’s survey, Trump led 54% to 20%.
DeSantis’ improvement here is timely, as the Governor will spend two days next week in Iowa. He will hold a campaign kickoff rally in Des Moines Tuesday, following up that stop with a four-city swing Wednesday, which will take him to Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Pella, and Cedar Rapids.
The new upward trend in the McLaughlin survey could represent a corner turned in a new direction. Other polls that have not been strong for DeSantis of late.
An Emerson College poll released last week shows Trump up 62% to 20%.
A survey released earlier in May by American Greatness, conducted by National Research Inc., finds the former President leading the Florida Governor, 44% to 26%, in a crowded field of candidates. In a head-to-head matchup, Trump still leads by double digits, 45% to 33%.
In an April Victory Insights poll of 400 likely Iowa caucus participants, Trump led DeSantis 54% to 20% in a crowded field, and 59% to 41% when the field was reduced to just those two names.
In a survey conducted by Cygnal for Iowans for Tax Relief, the former President led DeSantis, 37% to 30%. An additional 19% of respondents were undecided, with other candidates struggling for support.
In still another post-Trump indictment poll of the Iowa race, a J.L. Partners survey showed Trump up 41% to 26% in a crowded field.
DeSantis has famously said Florida is the “Iowa of the Southeast.” Time will tell if he will be able to emerge from a polling deficit in the Hawkeye State the way he did five years ago in the Sunshine State.
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