Support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign “collapsed” after the first Republican presidential debate, according to a new poll.
The poll, published Saturday
in the Wall Street Journal, showed former President Trump’s lead over his top rival at a yawning 46 points — nearly double the gap in the Journal’s last poll in April.
In a survey of 600 Republican primary voters, 59% said Trump would be their first choice, followed by 13% for DeSantis.
That’s down from the 24% the Florida governor previously logged, when he was
seen as closing in on Trump.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was third at 8%.
“DeSantis collapsed,” said Democratic pollster Mark Bocian, who conducted the survey with GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio. “The one candidate who back in April really seemed to be a potential contender, seemed to have a narrative to tell, has totally collapsed, and those votes went to Trump.”
Fabrizio is a longtime Trump pollster and currently works for a super PAC supporting Trump’s presidential campaign.