Monday, December 18, 2023

ANNALS OF DeSANTISTAN: Poll shows voters starting to sour on Ron DeSantis. (Drew Wilson, Florida Politics, December 18, 2023)

The best of Florida governor Ron DeSantis in political cartoons

Karma calling for our arrogant erstwhile Congressman from St. Johns County, RONALD DION DeSANTIS?  You tell me.  From Florida Politics:

Poll shows voters starting to sour on Ron DeSantis. 

Drew Wilson, Florida Politics, December 18, 2023

Florida Communications and Research Hub found Florida voters weary of the presidential candidate's agenda.

Florida voters are starting to turn on Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to new polling from Progress Florida and Florida Watch.

The organizations, collectively known as the Florida Communications and Research Hub, asked voters whether they approved of the Republican presidential candidate and found him underwater 52%-45%. DeSantis’ favorability rating is also in the negative, 50%-45%.

Compared to a year ago, when DeSantis was re-elected by nearly 20 points, the Hub’s polling shows nothing short of a nose-dive. As recently as February, the Governor’s approval rating was in the positive by double digits. By May it was a coin flip.

His ratings on key issues have also taken a turn for the worse. Six months ago, voters approved of his job addressing housing issues by an 11-point margin. The score has flipped and then some, with the December poll showing 62% disapproval and 29% approval. Health care affordability slipped from a plus-1 to a minus-14 and double-digit advantages on economic and public safety issues have all but evaporated.

“As Gov. Ron DeSantis has traveled the country speaking to voters in other states, his constituents in Florida are growing increasingly dissatisfied with the job he is doing to address the issues impacting their daily lives here at home,” Florida Watch Executive Director Josh Weierbach said. “Ahead of this year’s Legislative Session, it certainly appears that working families and seniors in Florida are dissatisfied with the perceived lack of leadership being provided by the Governor during his campaign for President.”

The poll indicates DeSantis’ numbers could tumble further depending on the fate of some controversial proposals pitched for the 2024 Session, which begins Jan. 9.

Voters particularly despise a bill (HB 17) that would clear gun purchases after three days if there’s a holdup in the background check process — just 14% of voters support it compared to 77% in opposition. A plan to exempt private aircraft from sales taxes scored a minus-56; a ban on citizen review boards for law enforcement is at minus-33; and a measure loosening labor laws for teenagers is at minus-29.

Meanwhile, policies pitched by Democrats are fairly popular. More than four out of five voters support raising minimum teacher pay to $65,000 a year and the same number support universal background checks for firearm sales or transfers. Further, nearly three-quarters of voters said they support capping rent increases at 5% a year.

“Floridians are overwhelmingly in support of protecting our environment, public safety, patients seeking abortion care, and the rights of workers and renters, but appear underwhelmed with key proposals being pushed by legislators in the majority in Tallahassee,” said Progress Florida Executive Director Mark Ferrulo. “This polling should serve as a wake-up call to those setting the legislative priorities during Session that it is time to step up and address the real issues that are impacting their constituents instead of the needs of corporate donors or the political ambitions of other elected officials.”

Drew Wilson

Drew Wilson covers legislative campaigns and fundraising for Florida Politics. He is a former editor at The Independent Florida Alligator and business correspondent at The Hollywood Reporter. Wilson, a University of Florida alumnus, covered the state economy and Legislature for LobbyTools and The Florida Current prior to joining Florida Politics.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Some of them isolated from Orange Hitler's supporters because they like DeSanctimonious and jumped ship on Orange Hitler. It's a sad state of affairs in the conservative Republican world as many of them lie to each other even more than they already did.

Edzilla said...

He should have been gaining control of the stupid supporters of Cheeto Jesus from the day he got elected but he fell asleep at the wheel on day one. Probably doesn't care after all is said and done. It's just an empty suit beauty contest and talent show. The State runs itself really the way they've got it set up. Talk every once in a while, throw tens of thousands in jail, do nothing new, hogs get fatter, rinse and repeat with the next empty suit.

Anonymous said...

Republicans do nothing and then clean up the broken pieces later.. with everything from the economy to social problems. Hell, they barely even do that. They stoke the fires of social unrest for votes and allow exploitation of the working class. I can remember around 2020-2021 there wasn't a single place to rent in the whole county, and if you could find a place, people were price gouging. That on top of nonliving wages is gross failure and Republicans have nothing to say. That's not leadership but they would say, "Oh well, that's life."🐷👎