Ron DeSantis' Approval Rating Tanks as COVID Delta Variant Ravages Florida
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' approval rating tumbled to 43.7 percent in a new poll published on Wednesday, as the state grapples with a surge in cases of COVID driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant.
The survey from St. Pete Polls was conducted on August 2-3 and it shows the Republican governor losing re-election in a hypothetical matchup with Representative Charlie Crist, a Democrat who represents Florida's 13th congressional district.
Respondents were asked whether they approved of the job DeSantis is doing and 48.3 percent said they didn't approve, while 43.7 percent said they did. This represents a significant decline since a Florida Chamber of Commerce poll in May showed the governor's approval at 55 percent.
The St. Pete Polls survey showed that 7.9 percent of respondents weren't sure whether they approved of how DeSantis was doing his job.
By contrast, 48.8 percent of respondents approved of President Joe Biden's job performance, with 45.7 percent disapproving and 5.6 percent not sure.
The new poll also asked Floridians who they would vote for if the election for governor were held on the day they were surveyed and offered theoretical matchups against potential Democratic candidates. The next gubernatorial election is in 2022.
Charlie Crist, who was the state's governor from 2007 to 2011, beat DeSantis with 45.3 percent support to the Republican's 43.8 percent, though a significant number of respondents - 10.8 percent - were undecided.
DeSantis fared better against Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, defeating her in the hypothetical election with 45.1 percent to Fried's 41.8 percent. However, 13.1 percent of respondents were undecided.
On the key question of mask mandates in schools, the poll found that a clear majority of respondents don't agree with DeSantis' recent executive order banning public schools from requiring children to wear face masks.
When asked if masks "should be required for all children" when the state's schools reopen, 62 percent said they should be, 31.9 percent said they should not and 6.1 percent were unsure.
The poll surveyed 3,952 likely Florida voters via an automated phone system and has a 1.6 percent margin of error. St. Pete Polls enjoys a B+ rating from poll tracker FiveThirtyEight. The latest poll comes amid a surge in COVID cases in the Sunshine State.
Florida now accounts for about one in five new COVID cases nationally and DeSantis has faced criticism. He strongly defended his response to the Delta variant, however, taking aim at President Biden for trying to "single out Florida over COVID."
DeSantis criticized the "wide-open southern border" and said the president was "facilitating" the virus.
"Whatever variants are around the world, they're coming across that southern border. He's not shutting down the virus, he's helping to facilitate it," the governor said.
Newsweek asked Governor Ron DeSantis' office for comment.
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Desantis is sinking faster than Trump's 2024 hopes.
Only an ignorant moron would support Death Santis
One in five new Covid infections are now in Florida...
More Floridians getting Covid than get vaccinated...
22,000 new covid cases today, 199 deaths. Over 12,000 in the hospital from Covid and 135 kids in the hospital.
His EO stopping local school boards from instituting a mask mandate has resulted in two lawsuits and a couple of schools districts mandating masks, Gainesville and Jacksonville.
A poll showed that 62 % of parents want the mask mandate for the schools.
Many corporations are now requiring masks for all employees, including Publix, Disney, Target, Walmart, and others. Disney said that all employees will have to be vaccinated in 60 days and of course a couple of the cruise lines are suing the state over his telling them that they couldn't require vaccinations to board their vessels. In addition to that most are requiring vaccines or if you don't have a vaccine you have to have a Covid test (your cost) and some are also adding that the passenger must supply travel insurance for any cost incurred if they become covid position while on board. if they show up to board without proof of vaccine or the necessary travel insurance they will not be allowed to board and they will not receive a refund.
Florida has a 49.3 fully vaccinated rate.
A certain seeder here was throwing shade at President Biden because he could not remember Deathsantis's name. A ton of citizens in FL are going to forget his name also at the polls.
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… and still preferable over Deathsantis.
As the Governor of California is in a .statistical tie for his recall in one of the bluest states in America.....