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The current governor of Florida, Republican Ron DeSantis, would win re-election next November by beating his three possible Democratic rivals, in some cases with a double-digit lead, according to Mason-Dixon poll released Tuesday.
The poll shows DeSantis, who some see as a possible presidential contender in 2024, at 51% or higher in a race against U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried or State Senator Annette Taddeo.
Crist, Fried, and Taddeo are the front-runners to emerge as the Democratic nominee for state governor during the party’s Florida primary in August.
According to the Mason-Dixon poll, the federal congressman is the one who best faces DeSantis, being defeated by a difference of 8 percentage points after registering 43% of voting intention against 51% in favor of the Republican.
DeSantis would reach 53 % of voting intention if his race for reelection were against Fried, who would have 42 %, and in the case of Taddeo the final picture would be 53 %-37 % in favor of the Republican.
The firm points out that the difference between DeSantis and the three possible Democratic candidates exceeds the 4% margin of error of this study, done by telephone between February 7 and 10 to 625 registered Democratic voters.
In his potential matchup with each of the three Democratic challengers, “DeSantis is supported by just over half of Florida voters, and his advantages give him a decent cushion at this point in the race,” the pollster notes.
Crist, who served as Florida’s governor from 2007 to 2011, an election he won as a Republican and then unsuccessfully tempted as a Democrat in 2014, is himself leading in voting intentions in the Florida Democratic primary process, according to the Mason-Dixon poll.
This study reflects that DeSantis is recognized by 97% of voters and among Democrats, Republicans and Independents he has an overall 53% approval rating versus 43% disapproval.
The poll even shows that 61% of independents have a favorable view of DeSantis against 32% who view him unfavorably.
Ninety-two percent of voters recognize Crist, whom most view unfavorably, while 67% place Fried and 43% recognize Taddeo, according to the poll.
