Despite a slight drop in support, former President Donald Trump holds a substantial lead over Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) among Florida’s registered Republican voters, according to the latest 2024 presidential poll.
The Florida Atlantic University Mainstreet PolCom Lab survey showed Trump remains 20 percentage points ahead of DeSantis in his home state, with the former at 50% and the latter at 30%.
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Trump’s support in Florida diminished by 7 points since the last FAU and Mainstreet poll conducted in April, which occurred before the former president’s federal indictment on June 13.
Kevin Wagner, an FAU pollster and political science professor, said he was not surprised by the poll’s results, considering Florida has more recently leaned toward the Republican Party.
“I think it's pretty consistent with the pattern that we've seen in this state over the last couple of election cycles,” he said. “The clear takeaway to me is that the state has trended rightward in the last few election cycles, and that is reflected in our data.”
While Trump remains the party's front-runner, he has a 50% favorability rating among the state’s GOP registered voters, whereas DeSantis has a 54% approval rating for his gubernatorial position.
When comparing the two candidates to President Joe Biden, both have a comfortable lead, according to the data. DeSantis beats Biden by 49% to 36%, and Trump tops Biden by 49% to 39%.
“This is not the number you want to see if you are Joe Biden,” Wagner said.
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The poll, conducted from June 27 to July 1, surveyed a sample size of 933 Florida residents and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2%.
According to most recent data, Trump is largely ahead of DeSantis despite the governor’s campaign attempts to close the gap.