DeSanti’s election nightmare: Florida governor drops to THIRD in South Carolina and stays 30 points behind Trump in Iowa – as his campaign continues to falter
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fell to third place in the South Carolina polls, behind Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley
- DeSantis remains a distant second in the first caucus state of Iowa
- Comes amid reports that DeSantis is turning its campaign on its head
Ron DeSantis is now third in South Carolina polls as the Florida governor continues to slip after reports of an upheaval in his campaign.
A new Fox poll of pre-primary states shows that DeSantis now trails both former President Donald Trump and his former UN ambassador Nikki Haley to South Carolina.
Haley was able to gain traction in Palmetto State, where she was also the first woman governor, serving from 2011 to 2017. At the time, she was also the youngest governor in the country and the second governor of Indian descent ever.
While DeSantis still ranks second in the state’s first caucus state, Iowa, the gap with Trump continues to widen.
A Fox Business poll of Iowa Republicans shows that 46 percent of likely caucus attendees support Trump — giving him a 30 percent lead over DeSantis’ 16 percent. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott is third with 11 percent.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (left) fell to third place in the South Carolina polls — behind lead candidate Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (right).
In the first competitive states, Trump remains a sovereign first place – but his one-time UN ambassador Nikki Haley has now moved up to second place in her home state of South Carolina
None of the other 15 candidates in the GOP primary have garnered double-digit support in Hawkeye State.
Six percent say they would team up for biotech millionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, 5 percent for Haley and 4 percent for former Vice President Mike Pence.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum both got 3 percent in Iowa, while the rest of the crowded field got 1 percent or less.
Trump’s lead in South Carolina is even larger, according to the July 15-19 poll of 808 likely state primary voters.
With a 34-point lead over the rest of the field, Trump garnered a whopping 48 percent support from Southern voters.
Haley came in second by a margin of 14 percent, leaving DeSantis in third place by a percentage point.
Tim Scott, who is also popular with voters in his home state, came fourth with 10 percent.
Nobody else has crossed the double-digit mark.
It’s exactly seven months to the day until the South Carolina primary. This is one of the first states to set the dynamics of the election cycle.
Former President Donald Trump still leads the 2024 presidential primary by a wide margin in both statewide and national polls
Trump continues to dominate the primary polls, even increasing his lead over DeSantis and the rest of the candidates for the 2024 nomination.
Earlier this year, DeSantis was about 20 points behind Trump in the polls, but now the Florida governor has seen that gap widen to an average of about 30 percent.
However, DeSantis says he doesn’t care about polls and doesn’t base his moves on poll results.
Meanwhile, multiple reports are suggesting upheaval in the DeSantis presidential campaign.
A New York Times article on Sunday claims advisers are promising a reorientation towards an “insurgency” run and want to rebrand DeSantis as a “earner stinginess” operation.