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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s presidential bid is off to a rocky start, as his net favorability plummets to a historic low among registered voters. A recent Civiqs survey shows 57 percent of voters have an unfavorable view of the Republican candidate, with only 33 percent having a favorable view. This gives DeSantis a net favorability rating of -24, the lowest recorded in this particular survey.

DeSantis’s unfavorable rating on Election Day in 2022 was already high, with 48 percent viewing him unfavorably, compared to 46 percent with a favorable view. By December, this gap had narrowed to a one-point difference, but since January, DeSantis’s favorability has continued to decrease.

The results from this survey come as DeSantis struggles to gain ground against former President Donald Trump in both national and state-level surveys. This week’s Morning Consult poll showed Trump with a commanding 43-point lead over DeSantis, who sunk to a “weekly tracking low” of only 16 percent.

Furthermore, as DeSantis’s campaign flounders, the candidate has been forced to slash staff and streamline operations, laying off 38 staff members in the process. DeSantis’s campaign manager, Generra Peck, explained that these measures were necessary to “put Ron DeSantis in the strongest position to win this primary and defeat Joe Biden.”

Despite these efforts, it seems DeSantis is struggling to gain voters’ support, with his favorability continuing to drop as the primary election approaches. Many conservative voters have expressed frustration with DeSantis’s lack of decisive action on key issues and have instead turned to Trump as the clear choice for a strong, conservative leader.

In contrast to DeSantis’s falling favorability, Trump’s popularity remains high among the Republican base. A recent poll showed that 70 percent of Republicans still view Trump favorably, indicating that he will continue to hold significant influence over the party’s base.

As the primary election draws nearer, it is clear that DeSantis will need to make significant changes to his campaign strategy if he hopes to gain traction among conservative voters. With Trump’s shadow looming large over the Republican party, it remains to be seen whether DeSantis will be able to win over enough voters to secure the nomination and defeat Joe Biden in the general election.