JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Mason-Dixon poll released Tuesday finds more than half of registered Florida voters support Ron DeSantis’ performance as the state’s governor.
The poll shows that statewide, 53% of respondents approve of how DeSantis is handling his job, 42% disapprove and 5% were undecided.
In North Florida specifically, the numbers are higher in DeSantis’ favor, with 63% approving of the governor’s performance, 33% disapproving and 4% undecided.
According to the poll, the governor’s job approval rating has increased over the past seven months, with his approval number increasing by eight points and his disapproval number dropping by seven points.
SEE IT: Results from Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy
Although it’s unclear who will challenge DeSantis in the 2022 gubernatorial race, the poll looked at what it considers two of the best-known potential Democratic challengers -- Nikki Fried, the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and Rep. Charlie Crist, who previously served as Florida governor.
Compared to both, the poll found, DeSantis holds comfortable leads.
Of those polled, 51% of Florida voters said between Fried and DeSantis, they would vote for DeSantis. A total of 42% would vote for Fried and 7% were undecided.
Between DeSantis and Crist, 52% of those polled in the state said they would vote for DeSantis, while 41% said they’d vote for Crist. The remaining 7% were undecided.
The poll finds that voters are split along predictable party lines, but that DeSantis has more support from Independent voters statewide against Crist (60%) and Fried (58%).
Not surprisingly, 63% of North Florida voters said they’d vote for DeSantis, compared to 31% who would vote for Crist, with a remaining 6% undecided. When it comes to Fried, 65% of Florida voters would vote for DeSantis, 32% would vote for Fried and 3% were undecided.
Mason-Dixon polled a total of 625 registered Florida voters who were interviewed live by telephone statewide from Feb. 24 through Feb. 28. It said the margin for error is no more than plus or minus four percentage points.