DeSantis has one of the highest governor disapproval ratings, poll finds

Gov. Ron DeSantis has one of the highest disapproval ratings among governors in the country, according to a new survey conducted by Morning Consult, while he remains very popular among the state’s Republican voters.

DeSantis’s disapproval rating of 44% was tied for the third-highest of any governor in the survey, which tracks voter sentiment in each politician’s state. The figure ranked behind only Democrat Tina Kotek of Oregon (45%) and Republican Kim Reynolds of Iowa (47%).

Kotek, who ran as a progressive Democrat, has adopted a more centrist posture in office. Reynolds made waves last year by endorsing DeSantis in his bid for the presidency, a move that was harshly criticized by former president Donald Trump.

Overall, DeSantis remains relatively popular in Florida, with 51% of voters approving of the job he’s doing, the survey found. Republican Phil Scott of Vermont, who garnered 81% approval in the survey, remains by far the most popular governor in America.

The poll offered potential good news for DeSantis’ political future. Florida’s governor, who must leave office in early 2027 due to term limits, was tied for the second highest approval rating of any GOP governor among Republicans at 84%.

DeSantis also performed better than any governor in the country in one telling metric. More Republicans said they strongly approved of the job DeSantis is doing than any other GOP governor, the survey found.

Morning Consult also surveyed for opinions on all 100 U.S. Senators among voters in the states they represent. Florida’s Marco Rubio and Rick Scott drew middling reviews, with Scott polling at 46% approval and Rubio 47%.

However, Scott, who is up for reelection in the fall, was not listed among the country’s most vulnerable incumbents. That distinction belonged to Democrats Jon Tester of Montana, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin; and Republican Ted Cruz of Texas.

Democrat Bob Menendez of New Jersey, who in September was indicted on corruption charges, had the lowest approval rating among senators, the survey found. Republican John Barrasso of Wyoming is the country’s most popular senator.

The Morning Consult poll was based on averages of data drawn from three months of daily tracking surveys of voters. The polling was conducted from January to March. The online polling firm’s daily surveys include information from about 9,000 registered voters, according to its methodology.