Jacksonville, Fl — A snapshot of Florida’s race for governor appears to show there is no real competition for Congressman Byron Donalds.

That is, so long as First Lady Casey DeSantis stays out of the mix.

A poll by the UNF Public Opinion Research Lab has Donalds pulling 28% support, well ahead of James Fishback at 4% and Lt. Governor Jay Collins at 3%.

However, Casey DeSantis registers 24% support due in large part to her name recognition. She has not filed to run, or indicated she’s planning to do so.

The state filing deadline is June 15th.

The poll of likely Republican primary voters has a margin of error of +/- 4.38%.

With DeSantis out of the equation, Donalds picks up just three percentage points, going from 28% to 31%, while other candidates gained one to two points.

A strong majority (64%) of would-be Casey DeSantis voters said they do not know who they’d vote for if she were not in the running.

“Casey DeSantis’s entrance into the race is still possible, though she hasn’t been engaged in the fundraising we’d expect from someone interested in running,” said Dr. Sean Freeder, PORL director and professor of political science.

“Still, given her level of name recognition and the impact that has on voters, she’ll remain a factor at least until the June 15 filing deadline.”

Donalds gets a 19 point boost with a Trump endorsement attached, but a greater percentage of respondents indicated an endorsement by Governor RonDeSantis would matter more to them, with 42%, compared to 32% who said an endorsement from Trump would matter more.

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Rich Jones

Rich Jones is the Host of Jacksonville’s Morning News. Rich joined WOKV in October 2006. Rich is involved in many community organizations and causes. Rich and his wife, Noelle, have three children: Avery, Harper and Austen.