Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’s standing in the GOP presidential primary has dwindled, with the governor scoring just eight percent support, placing him in a second-place tie with former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. Back in December 2022, DeSantis had a 36-point backing in the same McLaughlin poll. This decline is starkly juxtaposed with former President Donald Trump’s now 47-point lead over DeSantis and Haley, marking a significant surge since he was beating DeSantis by just 18 points at the turn of the year.
The poll, conducted from October 22-26, identifies entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Vice President Mike Pence as runners-up, with Ramaswamy sitting at 7 percent and Pence—who dropped out of the race on Saturday—garnering 6 percent. Looking ahead, the survey predicts a win for Trump over President Joe Biden, 38 percent to 35 percent, if the 2024 election were held today. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was measured at 14 percent in the poll, while fellow independent Cornel West received 2 percent.