Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, once regarded as a significant competitor to former President Donald Trump, is facing a decline in popularity in the latest Republican polls conducted in the crucial early primary state of New Hampshire, as per a CNN survey. In the CNN/University of New Hampshire poll, Trump remains the preferred choice of 39 percent of potential GOP primary voters in this state, a performance somewhat trailing his national support, where he routinely garners a majority of Republican backing.
Notably, the drop in DeSantis’s standing is raising eyebrows. He has slipped behind two Indian-American candidates, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, in the polls. While Ramaswamy’s popularity continues to ascend, Haley is rapidly gaining ground. Ramaswamy currently stands at second place with 13 percent support, closely followed by Haley at 12 percent, and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie at 11 percent, as reported by CNN.
The decline in DeSantis’s popularity can be attributed to a significant decrease in support among moderates, plummeting from 26 percent in July to just 6 percent now, while experiencing a smaller 8-point drop among conservatives, as indicated by the opinion poll.
The CNN poll further reveals that Ramaswamy’s rise in support is primarily among non-registered Republicans, increasing by 16 points since July with that group, while remaining relatively stable among registered Republicans. Additionally, his appeal has surged among younger potential voters, with a 28-point increase among those under 35 and an 11-point gain in the 35-49 age group, with little change among those aged 50 and above.
Haley’s increase in support is more pronounced among individuals with higher levels of education, with an 11-point gain among those who have completed some postgraduate work and a 15-point increase among other college graduates. She has also gained 18 points of support among moderates while maintaining relatively steady support among conservatives, as indicated by the poll’s findings.
The Trump campaign has reacted positively to these poll results, highlighting DeSantis’s descent to fifth place in the Granite State.
