Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tops former President Donald Trump among Florida Republican voters in a head-to-head matchup, a new poll found.
A survey of 507 Florida voters by Mason-Dixon Polling found Mr. DeSantis leading Mr. Trump 44%-39% in a GOP primary matchup. Five percent of voters picked other Republican candidates and 12% were undecided.
National polls have shown Mr. Trump leading Mr. DeSantis among GOP voters and that advantage appears to have widened following the March 30 indictment of the former president by a Manhattan grand jury on charges he paid hush money to adult performer Stormy Daniels. Mr. Trump has denied the allegations.
A Yahoo/YouGov poll taken after the indictment and released Saturday showed Mr. Trump leading Mr. DeSantis 57%-31% among GOP voters.
Mr. DeSantis has fared better against Mr. Trump in individual state polling, including the early primary voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire as well as Florida, where he was reelected in November to a second term by nearly 20 points.
The Mason-Dixon poll, conducted March 27-30, found Mr. DeSantis to be far more popular among Florida’s GOP voters than Mr. Trump, who lives in Palm Beach and won the state in the last two presidential elections.
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Among Republican primary voters, Mr. DeSantis was favorably recognized by 87% of respondents, compared to Mr. Trump’s 71%, and Mr. Trump’s 19% negative rating with GOP voters is nearly triple Mr. DeSantis’ 7%.
The poll also found among 625 Republican and Democratic voters, President Biden’s favorable rating has dropped from 40% in February 2022 to a new low of 35%.
Mr. DeSantis has not announced whether he plans to run for president. Mr. Trump jumped into the race officially in November.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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