Poll: Donalds Leads Casey DeSantis in Florida Governor’s Race When Voters Know of Trump Endorsement

A new internal poll shows Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL-19) leading Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis to be Florida’s next governor once voters learn President Donald Trump endorsed him.

According to floridapolitics.com, the Fabrizio Lee & Associates poll showed Donalds leading DeSantis 34 percent to 30 percent. This is a statistical tie due to the poll’s five-point margin of error.

However, the new poll released Monday said that when pollsters informed poll respondents that former President Donald Trump endorsed Donalds, his lead increased to 45 percent to 23 percent over Casey DeSantis.

“Much like the DeSantises’ fool’s errand in 2024 against President Trump where he got crushed, this data shows that the DeSantises would suffer a similar fate in Florida if Casey should run for Governor,” Fabrizio Lee & Associates partner Tony Fabrizio said in a statement, according to floridapolitics.com.

The poll also found that Donalds had less name recognition than Casey DeSantis. The Florida First Lady had 68 percent name recognition, whereas Donalds had 65 percent.

In February, Donalds announced that he would run for Florida Governor.

“I got to Florida when I was 17 years old, off of a Greyhound bus with just a trunk full of clothes. And over the rest of my time in Florida, I built a family, I built a career—seventeen years in financial services. I joined the Tea Party movement [and] was in the conservative movement, Donalds said. “I was able to serve four years in a state legislature, four years in Congress.”

In his endorsement of Donalds, Trump said he was a “total winner” who has been tested at “the highest and most difficult levels.”

“As Governor, Byron would have a BIG Voice, and would work closely with me to advance our America First Agenda,” Trump said on Truth Social.

The president endorsed Donalds before he announced his gubernatorial campaign.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, in February, touted his wife as someone who could build upon his work as governor.

“She’s somebody that has, I think, the intestinal fortitude and the dedication to conservative principles,” Ron DeSantis said, according to The Associated Press. “Anything we’ve accomplished, she’d be able to take to the next level.”

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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected]. Follow Zachery on Twitter @zacheryschmidt2.
Photo “Casey DeSantis” by Casey DeSantis. Photo “Bryon Donalds” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.