Dylan Mulvaney Has Higher Favorability Rating Than Ron DeSantis, Polls Show

Dylan Mulvaney, the transgender social media star whose promotion of Bud Light led to a boycott of the beer, is more popular than Florida governor and 2024 hopeful Ron DeSantis, polling suggests.

The first nationwide poll on Mulvaney, conducted by the DailyMail.com and TIPP Poll, shows that 50 percent of the American public who know who Mulvaney is hold a "very favorable" view of her (23 percent) or a "somewhat" favorable view (27 percent). Forty-two percent viewed her unfavorably, which would give her a net favorability score of plus 8.

While not a direct comparison, separate surveys show that DeSantis, who has made battling the so-called "woke agenda" a key part of his 2024 presidential campaign and has frequently targeted LGBTQ+ rights with legislation during his time as governor, is viewed as more unpopular by the general public, various polls show.

The polling suggests that the culture wars targeting trans people which are being heavily stoked by Republicans such as DeSantis may not be a major vote-winning strategy for the GOP at the next election.

In this composite image, Florida Governor and Republican Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis marches in a Fourth of July parade, July 4, 2023, in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, and Dylan Mulvaney visits the Zacapa XO x Baccarat Speakeasy, June 11, 2023 in New York City Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images; Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Zacapa Rum

According to FiveThirtyEight's national poll tracker, DeSantis currently has an average favorable rating of 35.5 percent, with an unfavorable rating of 45.9 percent, which would give him a net favorability score of minus 10.4.

DeSantis has not had an average approval rating as high as the 50 percent Mulvaney has in the DailyMail.com/TIPP Poll survey at any point this year, with the 2024 hopeful seeing his popularity start to fall in recent months.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has an average favorable rating of 40 percent and an unfavorable rating of 56.3 percent, FiveThirtyEight's poll tracker shows.

The DailyMail.com survey also revealed that, despite being a major source of outrage among GOP figures for months, more than half (57 percent) of those taking part in the survey said they had not heard of Mulvaney, or were not very familiar with her, including 59 percent of Republican voters, suggesting many voters are not deeply engaged by the "culture wars".

Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD, said the targeting of trans people by Republicans like the 2024 hopeful DeSantis go against public view of LGBTQ rights in general.

"Support for LGBTQ equality is at an all-time high, yet a small number of extremists like Ron DeSantis seem determined to roll back the clock on LGBTQ rights in a desperate, failing attempt to push people back in closets or build new closets where there should be safe spaces for all," Ellis told Newsweek.

"Public opinion is clear: a supermajority of Americans see LGBTQ people as our neighbors, friends and loved ones, and should be able to live free from discrimination. LGBTQ people just want to live our lives joyously and freely, and most Americans support that want and right to be safe and belong."

DeSantis has been one of the nation's leading proponents of cracking down on LGBTQ+ issues.

Over the last two years, he has enacted a ban on transgender athletes, signed the controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill into law and issued restrictions on gender-affirming care, bathroom usage and pronoun choice in schools. The "Don't Say Gay" bill, which prohibits classroom discussion of LGBTQ+ topics, also sparked a public feud with Disney, which opposed the legislation.

According to a Navigator poll published on June 15, the man who was previously seen as the potential replacement for Donald Trump as the de-facto leader of the GOP heading into the next election has seen his favorability rating steadily decline since last November.

The Navigator survey of 1,000 registered voters found that DeSantis has a favorable rating of 32 percent, with nearly half (48 percent) holding an unfavorable view of the Florida governor, a net rating of minus 16.

In November, when DeSantis was being touted as the man who should lead the Republican party in 2024 as many, including some within the GOP, blamed Trump for the party's poor midterm performance, the Florida governor recorded a +2 net favorable rating, according to Navigator polling.

The June Navigator survey also shows that DeSantis, who is currently trailing Trump in GOP presidential primary polling, saw his favorability among Republicans fall 19 points since November, as well as among the potentially key demographic of independent voters (18 points).

A recent YouGov poll of 1,500 people, conducted between July 1 and July 5, found DeSantis has a favorability rating of 35 percent, and an unfavorable rating of 47 percent.

DeSantis' office has been contacted for comment via email.

There is also a strong partisan view when it comes to Mulvaney, who was thrust into the culture wars after Bud Light sent the social media influencer a beer can featuring her face to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her transitioning, which she promoted on her Instagram channel, resulting in a major conservative-led boycott.

According to the DailyMail.com/TIPP Poll of 570 people who said they were familiar with Mulvaney, 74 percent of Republicans said they hold an unfavorable view of the transgender social media personality, with 78 percent of Democrats saying they hold a favorable view of her.

The survey also found that nearly half (49 percent) of people believe that Mulvaney has become more relevant as a result of the Bud Light controversy.