DeSantis Has Edge Over Trump in One Key Area 

• A new poll from The Economist/YouGov shows that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis enjoys marginally higher favorability among U.S. adults and registered voters than former President Donald Trump.
• The survey found that 45 percent of 1,469 adult citizens had a favorable view of DeSantis, while 35 percent had an unfavorable view of him.
• Trump's favorability among Republicans is still marginally higher than DeSantis, though more GOP voters also said they viewed the former president unfavorably than they did DeSantis.

Ron DeSantis may have one key advantage over former President Donald Trump as the Florida governor is widely expected to formally launch a presidential bid.

A new poll from The Economist/YouGov shows that DeSantis enjoys marginally higher favorability among both U.S. adults and registered voters, while the share of Americans with an unfavorable view of him is lower.

DeSantis has not officially entered the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination but he is widely considered the most formidable opponent the former president could face.

The Economist/YouGov asked respondents about their views of both DeSantis and Trump and found 45 percent of 1,469 adult citizens had a favorable view of the Florida governor, while 35 percent had an unfavorable view.

A further 20 percent responded that they "don't know"—a figure that could prove crucial if DeSantis enters the race and many Americans learn more about him.

When it came to Trump, the survey found that 44 percent of 1,476 respondents had a favorable view of him, compared with 52 percent who had an unfavorable view, while 4 percent said they didn't know.

It was a similar picture among registered voters, with 48 percent of 1,288 registered voters saying they had a favorable view of DeSantis, 39 percent holding an unfavorable view, and 13 percent answering "don't know."

Of 1,298 registered voters surveyed, 45 percent said they had a favorable view of Trump, while 53 percent had an unfavorable view and 2 percent said they didn't know.

However, the poll's findings also showed that the former president's favorability among Republicans remains marginally higher than DeSantis, though more GOP voters also said they viewed him unfavorably compared to DeSantis.

Of the 421 Republicans surveyed, 75 percent said they had a favorable view of Trump, while 22 percent had an unfavorable view of him and 2 percent said they didn't know.

When it came to the Florida governor, 73 percent of 418 Republicans surveyed said they had a favorable view of DeSantis, 14 percent said they had an unfavorable view of him and a further 12 percent answered: "Don't know."

The Economist/YouGov poll was conducted from March 11 to 14 among 1,500 U.S. adult citizens, including 1,307 registered voters.

In a separate finding, the survey showed that 56 percent of U.S. adults said they didn't want President Joe Biden to run again, compared to 54 percent who said they didn't want Trump to run.

While DeSantis enjoys a slight edge among U.S. adults and registered voters when it comes to favorability, recent polls have shown Trump leading the Florida governor in a hypothetical GOP primary.

A Morning Consult poll conducted from March 10 to 12 among 3,556 potential Republican primary voters showed Trump with 52 percent against DeSantis' 28 percent and they were the only GOP candidates to record support in double digits.

While Trump announced his new campaign for president shortly after the 2022 midterms, DeSantis has not entered the race yet despite considerable speculation about his intentions.

President Biden has previously said his intention is to run again in 2024 but he has not made a formal announcement about another campaign.

Newsweek has reached out to Trump and DeSantis' teams for comment via email.