Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Why DeSantis’ poll numbers are sky-high
In the 2018 race for governor of Florida between Republican
Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum, DeSantis was eventually named the winner after a recount showed he had a 32,000-vote advantage — less than half a percentage point.
DeSantis served six years of active duty in the U.S. Navy and three terms in Congress. He has an impressive resume but was less impressive in his speaking and debating skills, and showed a lack of knowledge of state issues and state government.
As a Tea Party congressman, DeSantis was a close ally of President Donald Trump and campaigned in his primary by tying himself to the president. Trump was instrumental in his win.
Gillum, a charismatic and articulate speaker, was the mayor of Tallahassee and had previously served for 11 years on the Tallahassee City Commission. Gillum, barely 40 and an African American, was turning out record crowds and energizing young and minority voters.
You would think after a close and nasty race the winner would start out with somewhat low poll numbers to reflect the tight result. However, surprisingly DeSantis started out with good numbers.
A March 2019 Quinnipiac University poll showed voters approved his job performance 59%-17%.
After a year in office and a legislative session behind him, his numbers are even higher, according to two December polls. A Mason Dixon poll shows 65 percent of voters approve of his performance, with 26% disapproving and 9% unsure.
A Saint Leo University Poll shows DeSantis with an overall approval rating of 68%, much higher than Florida U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott. He polls much higher than Trump in Florida.
Even more surprising, it shows DeSantis with 67% approval among Hispanic voters and 63% approval among African Americans — shocking since DeSantis was criticized for using some questionable terminology during debates with his African American opponent.
DeSantis, unlike his unpopular predecessor Rick Scott, embraced medical marijuana and supported enabling legislation to implement the constitutional amendment that voters passed. While he’s toned down his Tea Party rhetoric, he still picked ultraconservative, Federalist Society-approved nominees to the Florida Supreme Court and other judicial posts.
Florida’s prison system is a mess, with dilapidated buildings, too few corrections officers, low employee morale, rampant corruption and contraband, abuse and deaths of prisoners and gang activity. While DeSantis has shown interest in the problem and replaced the Department of Corrections secretary with someone with federal prison experience, there has been very little action on the governor’s part.
DeSantis has a mixed record on the environment. He has admitted climate change is real — again something his predecessor went to great lengths to deny. He has not properly funded Amendment One — the land conservation initiative overwhelmingly passed by voters five years ago — but he has done better on other environmental funding.
He supports more electric vehicle charging stations, a statewide resilience officer and increased fines for illegal raw sewage spills and damaging coral reefs. On the flip side, he supported the three environmentally damaging toll roads to nowhere.
His poll numbers can’t be based on his unpopular stance against gradually raising the minimum wage to $15. Maybe voters are unaware of his opposition.
Voters passed Amendment 4 restoring voting rights to ex-felons who have served their time. DeSantis signed a bill attaching restrictions and is spending our tax dollars to fight our intent in the courts.
DeSantis wants to give teachers raises — a good thing — but left them out of the discussion of how best to do that. He wants to get rid of common core standards — a needed change that many of us have been urging for years.
Unfortunately, he continues the practice of diverting public funds to private and charter schools and doesn’t hold them to the same standards. And he appointed an education commissioner that educators were adamantly opposed to.
While his ideology is still more conservative than most Floridians, he seems to have a little something for everyone — whether it’s real or perceived.