Polls show that DeSantis is trailing Trump

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has struggled in recent polls, averaging about 20 percent among Republicans in polls, falling far short of former President Donald J. Trump’s roughly 50 percent. The rift between the two men has grown steadily in recent months as Mr. Trump’s share has increased and Mr. DeSantis has lost ground.

In a Quinnipiac poll held from May 18 to 22, Mr. DeSantis won 25 percent of the Republican electorate compared to Mr. Trump’s 56 percent — doubling the former president’s lead over Florida’s governor since late March. Still, Mr. DeSantis is faring much better in the polls than the rest of his GOP primary competitors, which remain in the low single digits.

While it’s still early to consider next fall’s general election, Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Trump are doing the same thing — roughly neck-and-neck with President Biden — in a hypothetical contest in 2024.

Still, Mr. DeSantis is viewed somewhat more warmly by the American public: he has a net three percentage points favorable review average, while views of Mr. Trump stay under water. While Mr. DeSantis enters the race with quite a large voting hill to climb, there are many reasons to believe that it’s not too early to count him out.