First lady Casey DeSantis might be an early favorite to replace her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis, in office, according to a new poll from the University of North Florida.
Casey DeSantis received a 30% favorable rating in the poll released Tuesday by UNF’s Public Opinion Research Lab.
Twenty-two percent had an unfavorable opinion, and 33% said they had never heard of her.
Among other possible Republican candidates, former congressman Matt Gaetz had a 39% unfavorable rating, with 18% favorable and 33% unfamiliar with his name.
A majority of respondents also said they had never heard of U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody (54%), U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (66%) and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson (79%).
Among people who were familiar with those candidates, respondents found Moody and Donalds more favorable than unfavorable. Simpson was an even split of 4% in either direction.
Casey DeSantis “likely enjoys some favorability by association as Florida’s first lady,” Michael Binder, a political science professor and faculty director of the lab, said in a news release. “But most of these potential candidates suffer from a lack of recognition — some suffering more than others.”
The governor's final term ends in January 2027. He was first elected in 2018 and took office Jan. 8, 2019, then reelected in 2022.
The survey included 871 active registered Florida voters and was conducted from Feb. 5-14 by the lab. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points,
