Ron DeSantis' Approval Rating Has Collapsed

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has seen his approval rating fall dramatically two weeks after announcing his 2024 presidential bid.

According to online polling company Civiqs' dynamic approval rating graph, DeSantis currently has a net approval rating of negative 19 points, with an average of 55 percent of respondents disapproving of him, compared with 36 percent who have a favorable view of the Republican.

The data shows DeSantis has a major unfavorable rating from those aged 18-34 (63 percent), women (62 percent), as well as African Americans (85 percent), and the Hispanic/Latino population (68 percent).

In comparison, the Florida Governor's overall approval and disapproval rating was tied at 47 percent in early December.

Presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis listens to his wife speak to a crowd on June 2, 2023, in Gilbert, South Carolina. DeSantis' approval rating has fallen 19 points over the past few months, according to Civiqs. Getty Images/Sean Rayford

Around this time, suggestions that DeSantis should be the one to lead the GOP in 2024 were gaining momentum after many—including those in the Republican Party—blamed Donald Trump for the party's poor midterm performance. A number of candidates endorsed by the former president lost their races in elections across the country.

In the subsequent months, DeSantis' approval rating has fallen 19 points, with polls continuing to suggest that Trump is the overwhelming favorite to clinch the GOP presidential nomination in 2024 despite his continuing legal difficulties.

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These include Trump pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a historic first for a former president in New York and being found liable in a civil trial of sexually abusing former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s.

DeSantis could take solace in the fact that Trump is currently recording a higher disapproval rating at 57 percent in Civiqs' tracker, with the former president recording disapproval scores in the mid-50s for most of the year.

However, according to FiveThirtyEight's collection of GOP primary polls, Trump has come out on top in all the most recent surveys dating back to March, with a recent Morning Consult poll published June 6 showing the former president 34 points ahead of the Florida Governor (56-22 percent).

The Morning Consult survey also showed that DeSantis is failing to chip into Trump's lead in the polls since confirming he is running for president in a glitchy May 24 Twitter Space announcement.

DeSantis' poll numbers have remained stagnant compared to the previous Morning Consult survey from May 20 (21 percent), and down from his high of 34 percent recorded in January.

The latest survey showed that a fourth of potential primary voters reported hearing something negative about DeSantis over the past week, the highest share since tracking began in late November.

DeSantis' office has been contacted for comment via email.