Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis enters the 2024 race far behind the leader, former President Donald Trump, in a new national survey.
The McLaughlin & Associates survey puts Trump at 54% to 16% for DeSantis.
The governor has dismissed similar past polls, but his decline has been noticeable in recent months. He argues that once in the race, he can fight back to par with Trump.
According to the Iowa Star, “DeSantis has seen his support in the McLaughlin poll cut in half since January, when 31 percent of Republican primary voters said they would vote for him. Meanwhile, Trump’s numbers have risen 11 percentage points — from 43 percent support in January, according to the poll.”