Donald Trump opens up stunning THIRTY-NINE point lead over Ron DeSantis in GOP rivals’ home state of Florida
- Trump gets 60 percent of Republican support in Florida and DeSantis 21 percent, according to a new poll from the University of North Florida
- Nikki Haley was third, Chris Christie fourth and Vivek Ramaswamy a distant fifth
- Florida respondents were also asked about their feelings about Trump’s actions after the 2020 election, with 71 percent saying he was right to challenge the election.
Donald Trump now has a 39-point lead over his rival Ron DeSantis in Florida, a new poll shows, in more bad news for the struggling governor.
Trump, 77, received 60 percent of support among registered Republicans surveyed by the University of North Florida, while DeSantis could claim just 21 percent.
Nikki Haley, Trump’s former UN ambassador, came third with six percent, while Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, won two percent.
Vivek Ramaswamy, the millionaire entrepreneur and political newcomer whose star has burned bright but now seems to be fading, won one percent.
The pollsters interviewed 788 people between October 23 and November 4.
Ron DeSantis (left) is now significantly behind his rival Donald Trump in the polls
When Trump and DeSantis faced off, 59 percent of respondents said they would vote for Trump, and 29 percent said they would vote for DeSantis.
The research is deeply troubling for DeSantis, said Dr. Michael Binder, director of the university’s Public Opinion Research Lab.
“Despite historically high approval ratings in the polls, Governor DeSantis’ loss in his home state does not bode well for his national campaign,” Binder said.
“Even if you wipe out the rest of the competition in head-to-head competition, Trump is 20 points ahead of DeSantis.”
Trump trumpeted the new poll on his Truth Social account, posting a chart showing his lead over the man he has nicknamed “DeSanctimonious.”
Florida respondents were also asked about their feelings about Trump’s actions after the 2020 election.
More than two-thirds (71 percent) said they agreed with the statement that “he was merely exercising his right to participate in the elections.”
DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley will be seen in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday
DeSantis was widely believed to be the natural Republican leader, but he has failed to find his footing. He is seen with his wife Casey on November 8
Only 16 percent said they agreed more with the statement, “He went so far as to threaten American democracy.”
Binder said their response did not surprise him and was consistent with their general support for Trump as their nominee.
“Given the support for Trump in the upcoming election, it is not surprising that most of these voters believe he was within his rights to participate in the election,” Binder said.
“Interestingly, the 16% who think he threatened democracy generally narrowly prefer DeSantis to Nikki Haley.”