U.S. News
DeSantis leads Biden among independent voters, poll shows
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- A newly released poll shows Ron DeSantis leading a hypothetical 2024 matchup against President Joe Biden among Independent voters.
- One survey indicates that voters would prefer DeSantis over Trump who announced his candidacy last month.
- A political professor said voters are ready to “think about somebody other than Trump and Biden.”
Independents may have voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, but some early polling indicates that such voters are starting to notice Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican.
Several polls show that independents would like to send DeSantis to the White House in 2024.
InteractivePolls, a conservative media company, tweeted on Wednesday to show the comparison of four separate polls. Independents were asked in each poll who they would support for president if the 2024 election were held today — Biden or DeSantis.
The Florida governor received 39 percent among independents compared to Biden’s 32 percent in a Harvard/Harris poll. Meanwhile, DeSantis got a whopping 19 point-lead in a Yahoo/YouGov survey.
Cal Jillson, a professor of political science at Southern Methodist University said that such polls indicate that independents want options. Such voters are ready to “think about somebody other than Trump and Biden.”
“Independents have watched Trump and watched Biden, and they hope to do better,” Jillson told Newsweek. “And DeSantis is the person who’s in clearest view as an alternative at this point.”
Former President Donald Trump announced last month that he would be seeking another term. However, Trump had been having bad publicity since after the results of the last midterm elections. Earlier this week, the January 6 committee voted to refer Trump to the Department of Justice on at least four criminal charges, including insurrection and obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress.
DeSantis, once a loyal Trump ally, had been silent on the criminal referrals after the announcement.
“There’s a new Republican sheriff in town,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, in a statement on Suffolk’s website.
“DeSantis outpolls Trump not only among the general electorate, but also among these Republican-leaning voters who have been the former president’s base. Republicans and conservative independents increasingly want Trumpism without Trump.”
Though there are still a solid group of Republicans who are sticking with Trump, there are “more and more Republicans [who] are increasingly nervous, and he when they get nervous, they look and see DeSantis and think maybe he would do better, ” Jillson told Newsweek.
However, he added that though DeSantis “may give a decent speech, when he doesn’t know the camera’s on, he goes flat, adding that “He is not an energetic, dynamic campaigner and speaker. He can be, but he isn’t always.”
Source: Newsweek
CharlieSeattle
December 25, 2022 at 12:18 am
DeSantis, once a loyal Trump ally??? That is a damned lie!
Bernadette
January 3, 2023 at 11:20 am
“Though there are still a solid group of Republicans who are sticking with Trump, there are “more and more Republicans [who] are increasingly nervous, and he when they get nervous, they look and see DeSantis and think maybe he would do better, ” Jillson told Newsweek. However, he added that though DeSantis “may give a decent speech, when he doesn’t know the camera’s on, he goes flat, adding that “He is not an energetic, dynamic campaigner and speaker. He can be, but he isn’t always.”
Look, I’m not voting for personality!!!! Voting for someone who will do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done….”Do the right thing at the right time, for the right reason.” As my mom would say, “What are standing around for? If you see something that needs to be done, do it! Don’t wait for me to ask.”