Staff Reports
In a stunning turn of events, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has fallen far behind former President Donald Trump in national polls. Once a contender who had the potential to challenge Trump, DeSantis now finds himself trailing by a whopping 40 percentage points in the GOP presidential primary. Trump currently holds a commanding lead with 53% of the support, while DeSantis lags behind at just 15%. This is a far cry from earlier this year when the gap between the two was a mere 15 points.
The DeSantis decline: Polls show how far Florida governor has fallen as Trump gets indictment boosthttps://t.co/mwoyOXy4sI pic.twitter.com/Zx4QuCXt5J
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) September 6, 2023
DeSantis had been steadily closing in on Trump earlier this year, with his polling average only 13 points behind in February. However, the tides quickly turned against him with the emergence of four indictments against Trump, the first of which came in March. Since then, the divide between the two leading Republican candidates has only widened.
Recently, DeSantis suffered his largest polling deficit, falling behind by more than 41 points. Even a strong performance in the first GOP presidential debate could not provide him with a much-needed boost in popularity, as Trump dominated the conversation despite his absence from the event.
It remains to be seen if DeSantis can reverse his fortunes and regain his footing in the race. But for now, it seems that Trump’s star is once again on the rise, while DeSantis struggles to keep up.
