Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Support on the Rise, Approval 53%

Gov. Ron DeSantis’s popularity is on the rise in Florida, a Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy survey reveals.

The survey, taken Feb. 24-28 among 625 registered voters in the Sunshine State, found the Republican governor’s approval rating clocking in at 53 percent. That represents an eight-point bump from the 45 percent approval he saw in a July Mason-Dixon poll, which had his disapproval at 49 percent. His current disapproval stands at 42 percent.

His popularity remains on the upswing among the conservative base, specifically, as well. While former President Trump dominated in the CPAC straw poll, garnering 55 percent of the vote, DeSantis came in second with 21 percent of the vote. They were the only two candidates to see double-digit support. In a scenario absent of Trump, DeSantis took a dominant lead over the rest of the field, garnering 43 percent support, followed by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) with 11 percent and Donald Trump Jr. with eight percent.

DeSantis’s rise in popularity coincides with his recent announcements to tackle specific concerns related to Big Tech and, most recently, the Chinese Communist Party.

On Monday, DeSantis unveiled a sweeping statewide effort to address Chinese and other foreign influence in the state, labeling the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) attempts to influence domestic affairs “one of the most pervasive threats to American Security and property,” as Breitbart News reported:

The proposal will require public institutions of higher education to report any gift of $50,000 more from a foreign government or a foreign person. It will also require “strict vetting” and review processes of foreign applications for important research positions.

Institutions that choose to conceal information, DeSantis warned, will pay 105 percent of the amount and give it to the state of Florida. The attorney general will take action against non-compliant institutions.

It will also require state agencies to report any gift over $50,000 and require anyone seeking a grant or contract from the state for more than $100,000 to disclose any “contact with, donation from, or grant received” from seven countries of concern. Those include China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and Venezuela.

DeSantis has also navigated the Sunshine State through the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, standing firm in his decision to reopen Florida in the face of persistent criticism from Democrats and the establishment media.