The first round of polls following the Democratic surge on Election Day show Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis catapulting former President Donald Trump in hypothetical GOP matchups.
A YouGov survey of 1,500 adults found that DeSantis led 42-35 among Republicans and Republican-leaners, with 13 percent answering “not sure” and 10 percent saying “neither.” The poll was conducted November 9-11, immediately after the November 8 election when Democrats maintained control of the Senate and fought to a near-tie in the House. Trump publicly criticized DeSantis during a pre-election rally. (A poll making the rounds on social media showing Trump with a 50-point lead was conducted before the election.)
NEW: More Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents now say they'd prefer DeSantis (42%) as their 2024 presidential nominee over Trump than say they'd prefer Trump to DeSantis (35%). In an October poll w/@YahooNews, Trump was preferred, 45% to 35%.https://t.co/DKd1ugnNrs pic.twitter.com/i1OtpLVASJ
— YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) November 12, 2022
Meanwhile, DeSantis also leads Trump among Republicans in the key states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Georgia and Florida, according to separate polls conducted by WPAi Intelligence on behalf of Club for Growth Action.
In Iowa – home to the first-in-the-nation caucus – DeSantis leads Trump 48-37 percent after trailing 52-37 percent in August.
In New Hampshire – home to what is traditionally the nation’s first primary – DeSantis leads 52-37 percent. (The two were tied 45-45 percent in August.)
In Georgia, DeSantis leads 55-35 percent, increasing his 47-41 percent lead from August.
In Florida, DeSantis leads 56-30, an uptick from his 49-42 August lead.
The YouGov and Club for Growth surveys imply a major change in opinion for Republicans. Trump led DeSantis in every pre-election poll, including by 25 points in a Politico/Morning Consult poll and by 38 points in a Harvard-Harris survey.
Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, a rising star in the GOP, said during a post-election interview that she wouldn’t support Trump. DeSantis was re-elected in Florida by nearly 20 points, while Trump’s hand-picked candidates in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Arizona, New Hampshire and Nevada lost. A Trump-backed candidate in Georgia is heading to a runoff.
Trump cannot win a national election again, Sears argued.
“The voters have spoken. … A true leader understands when they have become a liability,” Sears said. “A true leader understands that it’s time to step off the stage, and the voters have given us that very clear message. … I could not support him [Trump].”
VA LT Gov Winsome Sears (R) on Donald Trump "A true leader understands when they have become a liability. A true leader understands that it's time to step off the stage." pic.twitter.com/BatmasiZwo
— Logan Phillips (@LoganR2WH) November 11, 2022
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Joe Raedle/Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
