According to a study from the Florida Atlantic University Mainstreet PolCom Lab, DeSantis would fare better than most of his rivals if the GOP presidential primary were held today, receiving 30.2 percent of the vote from Floridians. Nevertheless, Trump is ahead of the only rival by just over 20% with 50.3 percent of the state’s primary voters.
Participants were also asked who they would support if all candidates—aside from Trump and DeSantis—were eliminated from the primary to provide participants with additional context. In that scenario, DeSantis polled at 37% while Trump held a commanding lead of 54% with 8% undecided.
According to FAU political science professor Kevin Wagner, the poll “highlights Donald Trump’s quite durable support.” He performs particularly well with white working-class voters, who have consistently served as the former President’s staunch support base. This steadfast support keeps Trump’s position within the party strong and stable.
By saying that it would be “disloyal” to support any other candidate besides the former president, about 1 out of 5 Republicans, the poll also demonstrated Trump’s strong hold over a portion of the GOP. The outcome comes in response to recent concerns about DeSantis’ ability to challenge Trump, given that his campaign has not yet made significant progress against him.
The poll reveals that DeSantis and Trump’s lead has shrunk by 7% since the last results from April, which is good news for the candidate. DeSantis and Trump’s race might get closer over time given those factors and the current 54 percent approval rating he has among Floridians.
The poll also assessed how well Trump and DeSantis would perform in Florida against President Joe Biden. According to these figures, Trump would defeat Biden 49 percent to 39 percent, although DeSantis would perform slightly better, crushing Biden 49 percent to 36 percent.