A new poll looking at the Florida Republican presidential primary shows former President Donald Trump leads Gov. Ron DeSantis and the pack in the Sunshine State.
The poll from Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) Mainstreet PolCom Lab, which was released on Monday, shows Trump ahead, with 50 percent of Florida Republicans behind him. DeSantis places second in the Sunshine State with 30 percent, while 7 percent of those surveyed remain undecided.
“The poll highlights Donald Trump’s quite durable support. He does especially well with white working-class voters, who have consistently formed a steadfast base for the former president,” said Dr. Kevin Wagner, a professor of political science at FAU. “This persistent support continues to bolster Trump’s strong and steady position within the party.”
Despite Trump’s lead, the pollster found “a promising trend for DeSantis” when compared to where the race stood in April. “The gap between Trump and DeSantis in Florida has narrowed by 7 percent since the PolCom Lab’s April poll results, indicating that the race has the potential to tighten as we get closer to the election,” the pollster noted.
While both Republicans led in Florida against President Joe Biden, DeSantis did better in the general election matchup than Trump did. DeSantis led Biden by 13 percent in the poll, while Trump led the president by 10 percent.
“These poll results could be an important motivator for DeSantis to promote his bid for the Republican primary, as he may be a stronger candidate against the incumbent,” said Dr. Dukhong Kim, an associate professor of political science at FAU. “The poll indicates that the margin held by Trump or DeSantis at this time is larger than the 3.3 percent vote difference observed in the 2020 presidential election, suggesting that Florida is shifting towards becoming a safe state for Republicans.”
Other candidates for the Republican presidential nod stood in the low single digits. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy takes 4 percent and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-SC, pulls 3 percent. Former Vice President Mike Pence, former Gov. Asa Hutchinson, R-Ark., and former Gov. Chris Christie, R-NJ, claim 2 percent apiece. Former Gov. Nikki Haley, R-SC, gets 1 percent.
The poll of 933 Florida voters was taken from June 27 through July 1 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percent.
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