WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A new national poll published by NBC over the weekend shows former President Donald Trump with a sizable lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his closest competitor in the race for the Republican nomination.
The new numbers show Trump with a 51% to 22% lead over DeSantis. It's a wider margin than the 46% to 31% lead Trump had in April.
"I don't think there is any concern," Peter Feaman, national Republican committeeman from Florida, said, "because it's very early in the campaign."
DeSantis campaigned Monday near the border in Texas and then flew to Fort Lauderdale for a Monday night private fundraiser.
Democrats in Florida see the poll numbers as shifting among moderate voters away from DeSantis.
"What we've heard is that President [Joe] Biden and his campaign is saying Florida might be a place where we should get involved because they're seeing how unpopular DeSantis policies are here," state State Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, said.
Some Republicans see Trump benefiting from his recent indictment over the Mar-a-Lago documents and wonder how long Trump supporters will stick with their candidate.
"The DeSantis campaign will be concerned about polling numbers when it comes time for the primaries, which isn't till 2024," Feaman said.