Poll: DeSantis Outperforming Trump in Michigan

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis performs better against President Joe Biden in Michigan than former President Donald Trump and has more room to grow, according to fresh polling conducted by a Republican firm.

The survey of 500 registered voters, conducted Monday through Wednesday, showed DeSantis leading Biden 45 percent to 43 percent. The same poll showed the current president leading the former president 45 percent to 42 percent. Perhaps more encouraging for DeSantis: He is less well known than Trump in Michigan—and less polarizing. 

Fifty-five percent of voters view Trump unfavorably, while just 34 percent of voters feel the same about DeSantis. And while 19 percent had never heard of Florida’s governor and 13 percent said they had no opinion of him, those numbers for Trump were zero percent and 4 percent, respectively. The survey’s margin of error was plus or minus 4.38 percentage points.

“Supporting Trump in ’24 has already been ruled out by a majority of voters in Michigan,” reads the polling memorandum from Public Opinion Strategies shared with The Dispatch. “A strong majority of these general election voters (55%) say they would NOT be likely to vote for Trump, while just 43% say they would be likely to consider him. Fully 46% of voters say they would be likely to vote for DeSantis, with another 46% who say they would not.”