Another poll shows Florida’s Governor struggling in the Palmetto State ahead of the state’s 2024 presidential preference primary.
A National Public Affairs survey conducted between Aug. 7 and Aug. 9, shows Ron DeSantis at 13%, just two points ahead of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and current South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. All candidates are far behind former President Donald Trump, who has 45% support.
Other candidates are farther behind among the 846 likely voters polled, including Chris Christie (7%) and Vivek Ramaswamy (5%). No other name polled has more than 2% support.
The pollsters, during a Spotify podcast discussing the results, noted the “trendline” for DeSantis is going “down, down, down” compared to previous months where he was stronger. In May, DeSantis was at 23% in the NPA survey. Trump’s lead has grown from 15% to 32% in that span of time, with the former President gaining with middle-aged voters, non-college graduates and evangelical men at DeSantis’ expense.
DeSantis has said he’s a “great candidate” for South Carolina and has suggested that despite still being Governor of a different state he may sign a sublease in South Carolina to make the sale to the state’s Republicans. This is just the latest poll showing him battling for a distant second place with two homegrown candidates, however.
A Manhattan Institute conducted in July shows the former President with a more than two-to-one lead, 43% to 21% for the Florida Governor, with Haley and Scott farther back.
Another poll showed DeSantis in third place, meanwhile:
In that July Fox Business poll, Trump has 48% support, with Haley at 14%, DeSantis at 13%, and Scott at 10%. Other candidates are in single digits.
The new poll is the latest to show DeSantis has ground to make up in the state, a read supported by the Race to the White House polling average. On average, Trump has 45% support, with DeSantis at 16%. In-state candidates Haley and Scott are at 11% and 10%, respectively.
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