Only 20% of Americans want DeSantis to run for President, poll finds

TAMPA, Fla. - As Republican presidential hopefuls have their focus on New Hampshire, a new poll finds only 1 in 5 Americans want Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president in 2024.

The YouGov Poll surveyed 1,500 U.S. adults on favorability, issue importance, as well as candidates running for president.

The survey found 51% of respondents say they don’t want DeSantis to run, while 29% say they are unsure.

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"I think if you're on the Ron DeSantis campaign, you're a little discouraged when you see these numbers. But the most important thing for them is to remember that right now you just have to focus on the Republican primary," Aubrey Jewett, UCF Political Science Professor said.

Florida’s governor officially announced his campaign last month on Twitter. Some political experts say the unconventional launch surprised them, especially after such a strong reelection campaign for governor.

A new poll shows that many voters may not what DeSantis to run in the 2024 election.

"That's not usually the way you want to start off with a campaign. Usually, you want to get in front of as many cameras as possible and get as much positive and free publicity as possible. And so that just didn't happen," Jewett said.

DeSantis has since struggled to connect with voters during campaign stops in key states, lagging behind former President Donald Trump in the polls.

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"I think that has been one problem is he’s a little bit stiff as a candidate. He doesn't seem to have maybe some of that natural political charm that some politicians have," Jewett explained.

As Trump’s support has only increased amid indictments, those experts say DeSantis’ public stance on controversial issues is also a factor.

However, they say it’s still very early and the focus shouldn’t be on what national polls have to say.

"It's not all a disaster. You can overcome some of these things. And they have really said, you know, look, our focus is on these early primary states. We realize the national polls say what they say," Jewett said.

The YouGov poll found 33% of respondents said they wanted Trump to run again, 22% said they wanted Biden to run again.