Ron DeSantis Takes Double-Digit Lead over Charlie Crist

Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, waves as he arrives to a news conference in Matlacha, F
Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Hannah Knudsen

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is enjoying a double-digit lead over Democrat challenger Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL), roughly three weeks ahead of the midterm election, a recent FAU BEPI Florida poll found.

The survey showed DeSantis leading Crist by 11 percentage points, or 51 percent to the Democrat’s 40 percent support. Another five percent remain undecided, which would not be enough to swing the results in Crist’s favor. 

Further, DeSantis is enjoying a positive job approval rating, as a majority, 53 percent, approve of his job performance, compared to 39 who disapprove. One in five Democrats also approves of DeSantis’s job as governor. Fifty-six also view him favorably, but Crist’s favorability is underwater, as 41 percent view him favorably and 47 percent do not. 

And while the establishment media salivated over the prospect of DeSantis botching the response to Hurricane Ian, 63 percent of likely voters approve of his job performance on that issue, including 41 percent of Democrats. 

The survey also found inflation as the most important issue for Florida voters (36.2 percent), followed by “threats to democracy” (19 percent), and healthcare (11.4 percent). 

Additionally, the survey took a look at the Senate race between Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) and found the Republican senator leading by six percent, or 48 percent to the Democrat’s 42 percent. 

More per the survey:

Of the four statewide candidates, DeSantis is the most popular with a 56% favorable/38% unfavorable rating. Rubio has a 51% favorable/41% unfavorable rating, Demings has a 43% favorable/37% unfavorable rating and Crist has his ratings underwater with a 41% favorable/47% unfavorable rating.

In a hypothetical 2024 matchup between President Biden and DeSantis, DeSantis leads 48% to 42% compared with former President Trump who leads Biden 45% to 41%.

It was taken October 12-16, 2022, among 719 likely Florida voters and has a +/- 3.65 percent margin of error. The results coincide with a recent Sachs Media Group survey released this week, which also showed DeSantis leading Crist by double digits:

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