Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is edging out former President Donald Trump in Florida, according to a recently released Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, Inc. survey.
The survey shows neither Trump nor his potential challenger garnering 50 percent of the GOP vote. Rather, DeSantis leads in the Sunshine State with less than half — 44 percent — backing him. Trump trails by five points with 39 percent support, and no other potential candidate listed came close.
Former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, who formally announced a presidential bid earlier this year, comes in a very distant third place with just three percent backing her. Another 12 percent remain undecided — more than enough to either throw the race further in DeSantis’s direction or give the lead to Trump.
DeSantis also enjoys a positive approval rating in his state, as 59 percent approve of his job performance.
This particular survey was taken March 27-30, 2023, among 625 registered voters — including 507 Republicans — in Florida. It has a +/- 4 percent margin of error and coincides with the results of a March University of North Florida (UNF) Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) survey, which also showed DeSantis leading in the Sunshine State, albeit with a much larger lead.
As Breitbart News reported:
The survey asked registered voters in Florida who they would support in the 2024 GOP primary, and unlike other national surveys, this poll focusing on Florida, specifically, shows Gov. Ron DeSantis leading in his home state with 52 percent support.
Former President Donald Trump comes in second place with 27 percent support, followed by Nikki Haley with four percent support, former Rep. Liz Cheney with three percent support, and former Vice President Mike Pence with two percent support. No other potential candidate listed received greater than one percent support.
However, that same survey showed both DeSantis and Trump leading President Joe Biden in Florida — 51 percent to 42 percent and 50 percent to 43 percent, respectively.
Meanwhile, national surveys have shown Trump surging in the polls, particularly following the news of his indictment.
The latest Reuters survey, for example, shows Trump’s lead jumping four percent since last month’s survey — to 48 percent. DeSantis, meanwhile, has dropped, moving from 30 percent to 19 percent following Trump’s indictment.
Many were initially put off by DeSantis’s reaction to the news of the indictment last month, as he essentially dismissed it as a non-issue while focusing on leftist D.A. Alvin Bragg. However, after the official news broke several days later, DeSantis took to social media, blasting the “weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda” and deeming it “un-American.”
“Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda,” he added at the time:
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Emma-Jo Morris / Breitbart News
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