Ron on the run? Christie overtakes DeSantis for 2nd place in New Hampshire: poll

"This is the first time we have seen DeSantis drop out of second place in our polling, and fall back into the pack of candidates," Spencer Kimball said.

By Ben Whedon

Published: August 15, 2023 5:21pm

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has fallen to third place in the key early Republican primary state of New Hampshire, with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie surpassing him in the race to unseat former President Donald Trump from his frontrunner status.

Christie secured 9% support among registered voters to DeSantis's 8% in the latest Emerson College survey. Trump stood far ahead with 49%. The figures market a significant drop for the Florida governor, who stood at 17% in March.

"DeSantis has been the alternative to Trump in Emerson polling this presidential cycle. This is the first time we have seen DeSantis drop out of second place in our polling, and fall back into the pack of candidates," said Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball, per The Hill.

Conducted between Aug. 9-11, the survey questioned 837 registered voters in the Granite State and has a margin of error of +/- 3.4%.

The survey is but the latest to show the Florida governor losing ground. While still, on average, the runner up to Trump, the Florida governor's support in the RealClearPolitics polling average has roughly halved over the course of the year. In January of this year, he witnessed a polling high of 31.3%, but currently sits at 14.8% support.

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