Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to flounder in the polls even after attempting to reset his 2024 presidential bid with moves such as replacing his campaign manager.
Although he has consistently been polling in a distant second place behind former President Donald Trump, a new survey shows that he has slipped to third in one pivotal primary state.
New Hampshire Republicans offer former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie more support than DeSantis, according to the new Emerson College Polling results. Of course, both candidates are stuck in single-digit territory as Trump maintains the lion’s share of support.
Ingraham: Governor, Chris Christie is out there sticking his chest out saying I am number two in New Hampshire. Are you worried about him? pic.twitter.com/lApVJT6Rib
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 16, 2023
Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball noted that this marked a troubling first for the Florida governor’s campaign.
“DeSantis has been the alternative to Trump in Emerson polling this presidential cycle,” Kimball said. “This is the first time we have seen DeSantis drop out of second place in our polling and fall back into the pack of candidates.”
Among middle-aged voters, DeSantis is struggling even more. Just 4% of those between the ages of 30 and 49 support him, which gives Trump a staggering 52-point advantage.
Behind Christie, who is polling at 9%, and DeSantis, who is one point behind him, came U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) with 6%. Tied for fifth place were North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgham and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who each received support from 4% of respondents.
Aside from entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who came in with 3%, none of the other candidates received more than 2% in the poll. There appears to be room for candidates to build their support in New Hampshire, where 13% of those surveyed said they were undecided.
Any Republican nominee seems likely to face an uphill battle in a general election matchup against President Joe Biden in the state, however. Even though his overall approval rating remains three points underwater, it is five points higher than when the poll was conducted in March.
Even more importantly, New Hampshire Democrats gave him significantly higher marks in the latest survey than they did earlier this year.
As Kimball explained: “President Biden’s support has strengthened in New Hampshire since March. The President’s approval increase is fueled by a more unified approval among his party – 82% of Democrats approve of the job the President is doing, a 14-point increase from March.”
