Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Tuesday dispelled rumors of 2024 presidential run, calling the speculation “purely manufactured.”
During a press conference in St. Cloud, Florida, DeSantis told reporters that “all the speculation about me [running for president] is purely manufactured.”
“I just do my job and we work hard… I hear all this stuff and honestly it’s nonsense,” he said.
DeSantis’s remark follows a series of polls showing the governor in the top tier in hypothetical 2024 Republican primary matchups.
An Emerson College survey released last week, for example, showed both Trump and DeSantis standing as the only two GOP candidates garnering double-digit support — 67 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
When Trump is taken out of the scenario, DeSantis takes a commanding lead, garnering 32 percent to former Vice President Mike Pence’s 24 percent and Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) 13 percent.
That same survey matched up DeSantis against President Biden and found DeSantis trailing the 78-year-old incumbent by 12 points. Notably, the survey showed Trump leading Biden by a single percentage point.
Both Trump and DeSantis dominated in the CPAC straw poll and Western Conservative Summit straw poll over the summer. In the latter, DeSantis edged out Trump by three percentage points.
DeSantis is among high-profile Republicans, including Pence and Cruz, who are expected to headline a Republican event, the Nebraska Steak Fry, in Nebraska City on Sunday.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.