Mason-Dixon Poll: Gov. DeSantis Would Win Re-Election If Challenged By Nikki Fried, Charlie Crist

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A new Mason-Dixon poll shows Governor Ron DeSantis would win re-election if he ran against state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried or former governor and current U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist.

According to the poll, DeSantis leads Fried, the only Democrat who now holds statewide office in Florida, by 51 percent to 42 percent and has a slightly larger 52 percent to 41 percent advantage over Crist.

Voters are split along predictable party lines, but DeSantis builds his margins with strong showings among independent voters, leading Fried by 58 percent to 29 percent and Crist by 60 percent to 28 percent among those who are not party affiliated.

CLICK HERE for poll results.

While DeSantis leads statewide, in southeast Florida more than half of the poll respondents (54 percent) said they would choose either Democratic candidate over the governor. The governor has strong support in north Florida (65 percent) and southwest Florida (59 percent).

Statewide, 53 percent approve of how DeSantis is handling his job, 42 percent disapprove and 5 percent are undecided.

The poll was conducted from February 24 through February 28. A total of 625 registered Florida voters were interviewed live by telephone statewide.

The poll's margin of error is four percent.