Florida – Once considered as one of the major rivals to Donald Trump in the presidential contest, Gov. Ron DeSantis chose to suspend his campaign early in the primaries and remained quiet for several months. Few weeks ago, the public learned that Trump and DeSantis had chosen to work together against Democrats and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, forgetting everything that occurred in the run-up to the primaries. Although many people were surprised by this development, Trump’s re-election campaign may benefit greatly from DeSantis’ assistance.
The details
DeSantis has been aggressively organizing fundraising events in Florida recently to assist Trump in raising money, as his campaign has been lagging behind Biden’s since the beginning of the presidential contest. DeSantis, now in the second term as a Florida governor, enjoys huge popularity among Florida voters which is beneficial for the Republican party, but also Trump. Under DeSantis leadership, the number of registered Republican voters drastically increased and the once swing of state of Florida has become a deep red state. However, DeSantis’ help is now very needed for Trump.
Unexpected problem for Trump
This past weekend, the Florida Democratic Party sent out fundraising letters highlighting a new Fox News survey. The letters included a headline stating, “Donald Trump is in trouble in Florida. This confirms that Florida is back as a battleground state.” The survey indicates that Trump’s lead over President Joe Biden has narrowed to just four points, with Trump at 50% and Biden at 46%. This margin is within the survey’s error range, suggesting the race is very close. Trump had previously won Florida by a 3.5% margin in 2020.
Media surprised by the numbers
The new poll results have caught some Florida media by surprise, with several outlets calling it a “shock poll.” Kevin Cate, a former spokesperson for Obama’s campaign, commented that the poll’s findings are a positive sign for the Democrats.

“If y’all think I’m kidding, our state and fed races in 2022 lost by 16 and 20 points. If this race is within four, Trump is spending major money and time here, which is a MASSIVE win for Joe Biden and Florida Democrats,” Cate said.
“Public polling is public polling and all that should be considered, but Florida being under 5 points is not what I’d expect, especially compared to other swing states,” said NBC News National politics reporter Matt Dixon.
The details
Although the Florida Democrats are excited about the recent polling report, they didn’t discuss the scenario where the race expands from a two-way to a five-way contest. If this happens, and candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other liberal figures enter the race, Donald Trump’s lead would increase to seven points. The breakdown would be 47% for Trump, 40% for Biden, 7% for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 2% for Cornel West, and 1% for Jill Stein.
“Since the vast majority of partisans have already made up their minds, we should look to those without a party attachment to see what the likely impact of the verdict will be,” says Republican Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. “Roughly 14% of the electorate is truly independent, and about one-quarter of them say Trump’s conviction will matter ‘a great deal’ for their vote. The implication is that Biden may gain a single percentage point due to the verdict.”

Read also: Democrats launch investigation into Trump’s Florida meeting for large campaign contributions
Other findings
Regarding the conviction of Donald Trump over hush money payments, 64% of Floridians believe the conviction won’t impact his political standing, with 50% stating it won’t matter at all. When asked if Trump received a fair trial, 52% answered yes, while 45% disagreed. In terms of popularity, Trump is viewed more favorably by Florida voters compared to Joe Biden or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trump’s approval is evenly split at 49% favorable and 49% unfavorable. In contrast, Biden has a 42% favorable and 56% unfavorable rating, while Kennedy’s unfavorable rating is higher at 46%, with only 34% viewing him favorably.
Other surveys
According to Decision Desk HQ and The Hill’s ultimate hub for polls, predictions, and election results, Trump has a 1.0% lead based on 740 polls nationwide. This is just 0.1% below what Trump was seeing nearly two weeks ago on Thursday when he was found guilty in the New York hush money case. Based on 18 polls, Trump has a 7.2% over Biden in Florida according to The Hill data.