Poll puts Casey DeSantis, Byron Donalds neck and neck in a GOP Primary for Governor

But the First Lady suffers higher unfavorable ratings than the Congressman — though nothing like Matt Gaetz's negatives.

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Another poll shows First Lady Casey DeSantis with a slight edge over U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds in the Republican field for Governor. But the numbers also show high unfavorable ratings as she prepares to run.

The James Madison Institute (JMI) published survey results that show the First Lady leading the field of GOP contenders to succeed her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis.

About 27% of likely Republican voters support Casey DeSantis, compared to 24% who favor Donalds. That puts the two within the poll’s 2.77-percentage-point margin of error.

No other candidate broke double digits. Former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez polls around 9%, former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz shows up with 8% and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has 6%. Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson only registers 4% support in the poll, while Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett receives 3% support and about 1% back Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward. About 18% remain undecided.

But pollsters also checked on the favorability of some of the most prominent Republicans running for Governor. Those results showed Casey DeSantis had higher favorable ratings than Donalds and unfavorable opinions than the Congressman.

About 35% of all voters in Florida have a favorable view of the First Lady, including 55% of Republicans, and 16% view her very favorably. But 28% have an unfavorable opinion, with 17% offering a very unfavorable view. That includes 11% of Republicans surveyed.

By contrast, about 24% of voters had a favorable opinion of Donalds, a Naples Republican, with 19% giving very high marks. About 36% of Republicans have a positive opinion. Meanwhile, 16% have an unfavorable view of him, with 11% offering a very unfavorable opinion. And only 4% of Republican voters think negatively of the Congressman.

About 25% have no opinion on Donalds, and 35% say they are unfamiliar with him. But only 15% are unaware of DeSantis, and 23% have no opinion of her.

Additionally, about 62% of Republican voters say they would think more highly of a candidate with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, which Donalds has.

Gaetz, though, has more unfavorable ratings. About 35% of voters, including 21% of Republicans, have a negative view of the Congressman-turned-pundit, with a complete 25% offering a very unfavorable assessment. By comparison, only 24%, including 34% of Republicans, have a somewhat or very favorable opinion.