Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis, has proven himself a strong contender in the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race, standing shoulder to shoulder with the former President, Donald Trump, in their home state.
This revelation emerged from a fresh survey by Victory Insights.
The figures are compelling. DeSantis has garnered 38.2% support, slightly edging Trump’s 38%. The margin of error is stated to be 3.9%, according to the recent poll conducted by Victory Insights. In the Republican landscape, no other candidate could muster more than 3.1% backing.
A considerable 12% of probable Republican voters remained undecided at this stage, and 3.5% opted for a choice outside the presented candidate roster.
Names like Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina (3.1%), the former Vice President, Mike Pence (2.5%), the former U.N. Ambassador, Nikki Haley (2.5%), and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (0.1%), also made their presence felt in the polling data.
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In a hypothetical one-on-one race between DeSantis and Trump, the Governor takes the lead with 40.2% support compared to Trump’s 39%. However, the difference falls within the error margin, and a significant 20.8% remain undecided. What does this mean for the future of this race?
Senior pollster Ben Galbraith summarized the poll’s findings, stating, “It’s hard – and not our place – to tell whether these results will stick.”
Galbraith speculated on the potential implications of DeSantis’ surge in the polls, stating, “One could argue that DeSantis’ jump in the polls is a knee-jerk reaction to his announcement, one that will pass quickly. However, one could also make the argument that this is just the start of DeSantis’ campaign, and as he continues his outreach to voters, his vote share will increase. For now, all we know is that the race is close – and far from over.”
Looking back, a Victory Insight poll in November revealed DeSantis leading Trump by 10.9 percentage points in Florida. However, a month ago, Trump pulled ahead by 14.8 points. Both candidates call Florida home.
According to a report by Florida Politics on Saturday, a leaked audio from a DeSantis donor meeting implied that Florida’s Republican voters might be the deciding factor in the GOP nomination.
“We’re probably going to know who the nominee is after the state of Florida votes on March 19,” pollster Ryan Tyson informed donors. Tyson emphasized, “Florida is a winner-takes-all state.”
DeSantis officially threw his hat into the ring for the 2024 GOP presidential race last week, a move followed by Trump’s announcement of his candidacy shortly after the November midterm elections.
The Victory Insights poll, which has thrown these interesting insights into the public domain, was conducted among 700 likely GOP voters between May 25-27.
The race will certainly get ugly as Trump is notorious for name calling and jumping on the offensive. He has already thrown zingers at the Florida governor. Trump is also riddled with legal problems that have bolstered him for the moment. Time will tell how they play out.
DeSantis is very formidable in his own right, taking to task Joe Biden, Disneyworld and now Trump.
The winner is anyone’s guess at this point.