DeSantis falls to third in RCP average as Haley eclipses Florida governor

DeSantis's support has shrunk by roughly a factor of three since March of last year.

By Ben Whedon

Published: January 3, 2024 3:42pm

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has fallen to third place in the Republican primary just weeks ahead of the first nominating contest, with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley edging him out for second place in a key polling metric.

Haley boasts 11.0% support in the RealClearPolitics polling average as of Wednesday, barely surpassing DeSantis, who claims 10.9%. Such data mark the first instance in which the Florida governor has fallen below second place in the contest.

DeSantis's support has shrunk by roughly a factor of three since March 31 of 2023, at which time he claimed 30.1% support in the average. At that time, former President Donald Trump claimed 45.9%.

The ex-commander-in-chief's numbers have improved in that same period and he now commands an average 62.7% support among Republicans, handing him an overall 51.7% lead.

With the Iowa Caucus fast approaching, it is not all bad news for DeSantis, however, as he still places second in the Hawkeye State with 18.6% to Haley's 16.1%, though Trump leads by 32.7%.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.