DeSantis-Trump Support Rate Gap Widens to Double Digits (Comprehensive)

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The approval ratings of Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida and a rapidly rising Republican presidential contender in the U.S., continue to surge unabated. He secured a landslide victory in last month's midterm elections, winning re-election and emerging as a strong rival to former President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Trump, who is making his third presidential bid, has suffered a direct blow from his first guilty verdict amid accumulating judicial and political risks.

On the 14th (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that a series of polls show U.S. Republican supporters prefer Governor DeSantis over former President Trump as the next presidential candidate.

According to a survey conducted by WSJ and polling firm Impact Research from the 3rd to the 7th among 1,500 voters nationwide, 52% of Republican supporters said they would vote for Governor DeSantis as the next Republican presidential nominee. Only 38% said they would vote for former President Trump. Compared to a similar poll conducted just a month ago (7%), the gap in approval ratings has widened significantly to double digits at 14%.

The approval ratings of Governor DeSantis and former President Trump reversed following the midterm elections held on the 8th of last month. Polling firm YouGov reported on the 13th that DeSantis's approval rating reached 23%, surpassing Trump's 20% for the first time. Even within the Republican Party, DeSantis (41%) had higher support than Trump (39%). This marked a dramatic turnaround from the survey conducted on the 5th, just before the midterms (Trump 44%, DeSantis 26%).

The surge of Governor DeSantis, a prominent Republican contender, appears to be solidifying into a 'DeSantis dominance theory.' Various judicial risks, including the January 6 Capitol riot, lawsuits for financial fraud, defamation suits, and allegations of privately taking 3,000 presidential records and classified documents, are weighing down former President Trump.

Recently, the Trump Group, his family business, was found guilty on all 17 charges including tax fraud and document tampering in a tax evasion trial. With expectations that this ruling will accelerate investigations related to former President Trump, overall favorability among Republican supporters is steadily declining. Favorability toward Trump among Republican supporters dropped from 85% a year ago to 74%, while negative views increased from 13% to 23%.

Other polls also show Governor DeSantis significantly ahead of former President Trump. In a recent USA Today poll, DeSantis led Trump comfortably by a 23 percentage point margin. In preference surveys conducted among all voters, not just Republican supporters, DeSantis received 43%, surpassing Trump's 36%.

WSJ analyzed that the shift in public opinion within the Republican Party seems to stem from growing views that blame former President Trump for the party's poor performance in last month's midterm elections. However, among Republican supporters, conservative-leaning voters still prefer former President Trump over Governor DeSantis. Among voters who identified themselves as 'very conservative,' Trump's approval rating was 54%, higher than DeSantis's 38%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.