Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) leads his closest potential challenger by eight points in the latest polling from Mason-Dixon.
The pollster looked at the three Democrats vying to face DeSantis in November and found none of them are even close.
Rep. Charlie Crist, who previously served one term as Florida’s Governor (as a Republican), loses to DeSantis by eight points, 51 to 43 percent.
State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried loses to DeSantis by 11 points, 53 to 42 percent.
State Senator Annette Taddeo gets walloped by DeSantis by 16 points, 53 to 37 percent.
The poll also found that 53 percent of Floridians approve of the job DeSantis is doing, while only 43 percent disapprove.
This is a remarkable turnaround for a governor who, in 2018, barely eked out a victory against disgraced former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum. More than eight million votes were cast in that widely anticipated election, and DeSantis squeaked out a victory by just 33,000 votes, or 0.4 percent.
Granted, there is plenty of time between now and November, but for a known quantity like Crist, a former governor himself, to be eight points behind… That’s a big deal. Another big deal is DeSantis safely polling over 50 percent against all comers, which is where an incumbent needs to be. As his own known quantity, people have made up their minds about DeSantis, and barring some sort of catastrophe or mind-bending scandal, are unlikely to change their minds.
By any objective measure, DeSantis has done a superb job of governing and growing the GOP. He’s basically Donald Trump without all the personal baggage and petty, ego-driven flaws.
First and foremost, like Trump, DeSantis is a natural leader — unafraid to lead and unafraid of a corrupt media eager to run him into the rocks of political destruction. His handling of the coronavirus pandemic was spot-on, science-driven, and defied the conventional wisdom that is proving to be more and more wrong day by day. This approach has turned Florida into a beacon of freedom, attracting new residents, most of them refugees from failed blue states and cities. Thanks in part to this, a famously tight swing state appears to be moving safely into the Republican column.
But it is not just the new residents who are altering Florida’s political makeup. My guess is that the Governor’s proven leadership outcomes, along with his ability to articulate why he does what he does and why his opponents are wrong, has converted quite a few Floridians into Republicans.
DeSantis is holding a master class in how to govern, how to manage a crisis, and how to increase the size and appeal of your party.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.
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