“Thumbs down”: Ron DeSantis hit with brutal poll numbers as COVID-19 cases rise in Florida

Thumbs down from Floridians on DeSantis’ ban on mask requirements in public schools

Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., made a big bet that opposing public health restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus would be a political winner — but a new poll suggests he has massively miscalculated.

New polling from Quinnipiac shows that Florida residents are broadly in favor of taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including the mask mandates that DeSantis has tried banning in public schools.

Overall, 60% of Florida voters support school mask mandates, while just 36% are opposed.

DeSantis’ policy of cutting off salaries of school leaders who defy his mask mandate ban, meanwhile, is even more politically toxic for the governor, as just 25% say the policy is a good idea, while 69% say it’s a bad idea.

In fact, even a majority of Republican voters, who are the most opposed to school mask mandates, do not support withholding payment from school administrators who enact mask mandates.