Could DeSantis actually do it?
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who recently won re-election over his Democratic challenger by nearly 20 percentage points, has been widely considered a potential presidential candidate in the 2024 primaries, much to Trump’s frustration. When Ron first ran for governor, an endorsement from the then-president has been credited with significantly boosting his primary campaign against Adam Putnam, who was a state-level official serving as the commissioner of agriculture. In Florida, voters select the occupant of that position. In the time since, Ron has become evidently wildly popular among certain Republicans, and a new survey at the national level of the 2024 Republican presidential primary shows DeSantis leading Trump.
DeSantis has previously led Trump in state-level polling, most notably in Florida, but Donald has mostly dominated in surveys at the national level. Polls are obviously inherently imperfect, and some were more accurate than others during the midterm elections, but mathematical indications of a possibility of a DeSantis victory are growing. In new polling from YouGov, DeSantis led Trump by a margin in the high single digits, with 42 percent of Republicans and independents who lean towards Republicans indicating they preferred the Florida governor over Trump. Just 35 percent picked Donald, while 10 percent said neither, and 13 percent indicated they were unsure. The poll was conducted entirely after last week’s midterm elections, in which Republicans came up short in numerous races where the party was expected to have a fighting chance. The GOP lost races for governor in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, along with contests for Senate in Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada, retaining control of the upper chamber.
Trump has just recently expressed outrage about the idea of DeSantis even potentially running for president. Although neither the former president nor the recently re-elected governor have confirmed any intentions to run, Trump may do so this week, while DeSantis — well, who knows, really? Among other points of contention for Donald, he took credit for the primary success of at least DeSantis’s original bid for governor. Trump has a history of overstating the impacts of his endorsements, including in Kentucky — which often leans toward Republicans, with or without Donald’s participation.
