Survey: Ron DeSantis’s Favorability Slips, Donald Trump Remains Most Favorable in GOP Field

Ron DeSantis / Donald Trump
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Hannah Knudsen

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s favorability has slipped over the past week as former President Donald Trump remains the most favorable candidate in the hypothetical Republican field, this week’s Morning Consult survey found.

Trump remains the most favorable GOP contender, as 78 percent view him favorably, compared to 20 percent who do not. He is down one point from the 79 percent who viewed him favorably last week.

While DeSantis boasts the second highest favorability of all those listed in the survey, 66 percent, it reflects a six-point decrease from the 72 percent who viewed him favorably last week and a seven-point decrease from the 73 percent who viewed him favorably the week prior. In other words, he has experienced a seven-point drop in the last two weeks.

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s favorability is continuing to tick up, jumping from 58 percent viewing him favorably last week to 61 percent doing so this week. Twenty-five percent have an unfavorable view of the former vice president, but that reflects a four-point drop from the 29 percent who expressed that sentiment last week.

While former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley experienced a boost last week, jumping from 48 percent to 54 percent, she has gone back down, with 47 percent viewing her favorably this week. Nineteen percent say they have never heard of her — still a significant shift from the 29 percent who said they had never heard of her two weeks ago.

Anti-woke businessman Vivek Ramaswamy has 44 percent viewing him favorably, while 30 percent say they have never heard of him. This puts him more in line with Sen. Tim Scott, who is expected to announce a presidential run next week. Thirty-seven percent have a favorable view of the senator, while 32 percent say they have never heard of him.

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Nick Gilbertson / Breitbart News

The survey also shows Trump continuing to dominate in the hypothetical primary race, leading DeSantis — his closest potential challenger — 61 percent to 18 percent. This reflects a difference of 43 points.

The survey was taken May 12-14, 2023, among 3,571 potential Republican primary voters. It has a +/- two percent margin of error.

DeSantis, who was rumored to make a presidential announcement after the end of the legislative session, has yet to publicly offer any insight into his political intentions. It remains unclear if and when he will jump into the presidential race.

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