The Republican Florida governor and presidential hopeful is down 9 points since April in NBC’s new primary poll. He now trails Donald Trump by 29 points.
In an ideal scenario, more national exposure would be a good thing for a presidential hopeful. But in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ case, the more voters learn about him, the less they can stomach the idea of him running the country.
In a new NBC News’ poll out Sunday, DeSantis dropped a devastating nine points from April to just 22 percent support in the Republican primary. Donald Trump, meanwhile, surged 5 points to 51 percent, taking a clear lead in the race, despite his extensive legal troubles. Former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott are all badly trailing Trump and DeSantis with single-digit support among GOP voters.
In a general election match-up, President Joe Biden is currently leading Trump 49 to 45 percent, with strong advantages among women voters (55-38), 18-34 year olds (65-30), Latinos (66-26), and Independents (47-33). Biden’s job approval rating has jumped 10 points since April, from 43 percent to a healthy 53.
