DeSantis stacks up better against Biden than Trump: Poll
A new poll bodes well for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s 2024 presidential ambitions, should he choose to run.
The poll from YouGov found that DeSantis stacks up better against President Joe Biden in a speculative matchup for the 2024 general election than former President Donald Trump, though Biden edges both of them out within the margin of error. Respondents would opt for Biden over Trump by 39% to 36% and Biden over DeSantis by 36% to 35%.
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In both scenarios, a sizable chunk of voters was either unsure or wouldn’t vote. In the Trump matchup, 15% of those surveyed said they wouldn’t vote and 9% were unsure, while 16% wouldn’t vote in a DeSantis showdown and 13% were unsure.
The survey gathered information from 1,000 adults between Aug. 18 and Aug. 22 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Prior polling had mixed results about Biden’s prospects against top Republicans in a hypothetical 2024 race. For example, a Rasmussen poll in May had Biden losing to Trump 36% to 50% and getting eclipsed by DeSantis 46% to 35%.
The latest YouGov poll comes as Biden has experienced a rebound in his job approval after his monthslong lackluster polling numbers appeared to have bottomed out. His approval sits at 41.8%, up from 39.5% at the beginning of the month, according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.
Over recent weeks, Biden has racked up a string of victories that appear to have buoyed his standing among the public. This includes the killing of Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri, lowering gas prices, the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the passage of the CHIPS Act, and the announcement of student loan forgiveness.
Despite whispers of consternation over a second Biden stint at the presidency among Democrats, the White House has maintained that he will pursue reelection in 2024. Some, such as political strategist David Axelrod, have raised concerns about Biden’s age. Biden, who is 79 years old, is the oldest person to helm the country.
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Trump has said that his mind is made up on whether he will throw his hat in the ring in 2024, telling New York magazine that the only outstanding question is when he will make the announcement public. The former president has consistently topped DeSantis, a rising star in GOP circles, in 2024 primary polling.
Many voters, though, appear unenthused about another Biden or Trump term in office. A meager 28% of those surveyed in the YouGov survey wanted Trump to pursue a second term, with 54% saying he should bow out. For Biden, only 21% of voters favored a second stint, with 55% saying he should pass on the baton.
