Campaign

DeSantis sees lowest level of support since December in new poll, trails Trump by 28 points

by Olafimihan Oshin - 03/21/23 11:02 AM ET

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) received just 26 percent support in the latest GOP presidential poll from Morning Consult — the lowest number he’s hit in the survey since December.

DeSantis, who has not entered the GOP primary but is expected to do so, trailed former President Trump, who won 54 percent, by 28 percentage points in the new poll published on Tuesday.

Former Vice President Mike Pence came in third with 7 percent of respondents saying they’ll support him, followed by former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who won 4 percent.

Haley announced her presidential campaign last month, while Pence is expected to join the race.

Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) received 3 percent of support from those surveyed. Cheney has also not entered the race.

DeSantis got some better news when respondents were asked about their second choice for president.

When asked who would they choose as a second option after registering their first choice, 46 percent of respondents said they would cast their support for DeSantis, while 17 percent of respondents said they’ll support Pence, and 6 percent said they’d support Haley.

When asked about a hypothetical 2024 matchup between President Biden and DeSantis, 41 percent of respondents said they’ll vote for DeSantis, while 43 percent of those surveyed said they’d cast a vote for Biden.

Forty-one percent said they’d vote for Trump in a hypothetical 2024 matchup with Biden, while 44 percent of those surveyed said they’d cast a vote for Biden, according to the poll.

DeSantis, who indicated that an official announcement on a presidential run will not come until after his state’s legislative session is over, has been widely seen as a leading contender for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination.

The Morning Consult survey was conducted from March 17 to 19. A total of 3,394 potential Republican primary respondents participated in the survey. The poll’s margin of error is 2 percentage points.