Ron DeSantis opens an 11-point lead in re-election campaign

A new poll shows that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has a double-digit lead against Democratic nominee Charlie Crist with less than a month left until the election.

Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business surveyed 719 voters between 12 and 16 October with a margin of error of 3.65 per cent.

The poll showed that 50.9 per cent of voters support Mr DeSantis as he runs for a second term, compared to 39.7 per cent who support Mr Crist, a former congressman and a former Republican governor who switched parties. Mr Crist ran for governor as a Democrat in 2014 as well.

Mr DeSantis has become a conservative “hero” after keeping Florida open throughout most of the Covid-19 pandemic and opposing vaccine mandates. In addition, many social conservatives supported him as he passed the “Don’t Say Gay” law that restricted how students are taught about LGBTQ+ people and rights.

Most recently, Mr DeSantis caused controversy when he sent a number of Venzuelan migrants bound for Florida up to Martha’s Vineyard. But that does not seem to have blunted Mr DeSantis’s appeal.

Many conservative donors have in turn floated Mr DeSantis as a potential presidential candidate in 2024 even if former president Donald Trump runs.

In a hypothetical matchup, Mr DeSantis would beat President Joe Biden 48 per cent to 42 per cent, compared with Mr Trump, who would only beat Mr Biden by four points.

Many Floridians also approved of the way that he handled Hurricane Ian recently, with 63 per cent of likely voters approving of his hurricane response, which is larger than the 53 per cent he enjoys for his general approval rating. In addition, 41 per cent of Democrats approve of his hurricane response.

Like many other states, most voters listed inflation as their top concern, with 36.2 per cent citing rising prices compared to 19 per cent who named threats to democracy; 11.4 per cent who named health care; and 9.3 per cent who listed abortion access.