Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has lost support from potential Republican presidential primary voters, according to a new poll that shows just 12% say he’s their preferred nominee in 2024.
The Florida governor’s supporters dropped 11 points in the new poll from Yahoo News/YouGov, down from 23% in mid-July. The most recent poll surveyed Republicans and independents who lean Republican and are registered to vote.
Just six months ago, a Yahoo News/YouGov poll found his numbers led former President Donald Trump, with 45% of surveyed GOP voters saying they would choose Mr. DeSantis compared with 41% for Mr. Trump.
These most recent numbers put the governor only slightly above biotech tycoon Vivek Ramaswamy, who won the support of 8% of potential Republican voters in the poll. Mr. Trump is far ahead of all the candidate hopefuls, with 52% saying they would choose him.
The numbers for Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Ramaswamy are lower than the 14% of voters not sure whom they will vote for. The remaining candidates didn’t poll more than 5%. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina garnered 4%, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley won 3% and both former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence earned 2%.
Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Ramaswamy will take center stage in the Republican primary debate Wednesday in Milwaukee, where all the candidates are seeking breakout performances that will bump them closer to Mr. Trump in the polls.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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