A new Rasmussen Reports national phone and online survey shows that if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ran for President, he would garner plenty of support, but would still have an uphill climb against President Donald J. Trump.
Forty percent of likely U.S. voters believed Trump would win if both he and DeSantis ran for the Republican nomination. Twenty-two percent said they think DeSantis would win while 23 percent believe neither candidate would win.
Fifty-two percent of voters view Trump favorably, as do 52 percent of voters when it comes to DeSantis. Thirty-seven percent of voters have a very favorable view of DeSantis while 35 percent have a very favorable impression of Trump.
The unfavorable ratings have a much larger spread. Trump is viewed unfavorably by 45 percent of voters, including 35 percent who view him very unfavorably. DeSantis, on the other hand, has an unfavorable rating of 33 percent, with 26 percent saying they have a very unfavorable view of him.
There are a few other interesting outliers. When it comes to GOP voters, Trump is viewed favorably by 83 percent compared to 76 percent for DeSantis. Thirty-three percent of Democrats view DeSantis favorably, while 24 percent view Trump favorably. Unaffiliated voters seemingly like Trump slightly better, with 51 percent viewing him favorably and 46 percent viewing DeSantis favorably.
Fifty-nine percent of Republican voters believe Trump would beat DeSantis in a head-to-head contest. If both Trump and DeSantis ran, only six percent of Republicans think neither would win the nomination.
I read this as the safest bet for conservatives and Republicans, with all the benefits, being DeSantis