Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' stance on Ukraine resonates most with GOP primary voters and is not as well received among the broader electorate, new polling suggests.
The Republican governor's recently declared position that the war in Ukraine is a "territorial dispute" and not one of America's "vital national interests" is most likely to be well received by Republican primary voters, according to a new Morning Consult poll.
While DeSantis' skepticism may be the smartest short-term political play, survey data reveals it could be a risky strategy in the general election.
According to the poll, just 37% of GOP primary voters say helping Ukraine is a "vital U.S. interest," with 46% saying it's not. Among all voters, 49% say Ukraine is important to the U.S. and 29% say it's not.
DeSantis' position puts him on the same side of the issue as former President Donald Trump, whom the popular governor is expected to challenge for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
"From a political perspective, it may well be true that breaking with Trump — the only other candidate or potential candidate in the 2024 field with significant polling support — on a fairly divisive topic brings more risk than upside," Morning Consult said in its poll findings report.
"But barring unforeseen developments in relations with Kyiv, it also means that DeSantis could be forced to backpedal toward the mainstream position should he survive what's sure to be a bruising primary against Trump."
The poll was published one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded directly to DeSantis and other disillusioned Americans in an interview with The Atlantic.
"If we will not have enough weapons, that means we will be weak," Zelenskyy said. "If we will be weak, they will occupy us. If they occupy us, they will be on the borders of Moldova and they will occupy Moldova. When they have occupied Moldova, they will (travel through) Belarus and they will occupy Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
"That's three Baltic countries which are members of NATO. They will occupy them. Of course, (the Balts) are brave people, and they will fight. But they are small. And they don't have nuclear weapons. So they will be attacked by Russians because that is the policy of Russia, to take back all the countries which have been previously part of the Soviet Union."
Despite DeSantis' increasingly national profile as he lays the groundwork for a widely anticipated 2024 presidential bid, Republican primary voters are just as likely to know his position on Ukraine as not.
Among GOP primary voters, 50% had heard "a lot" or "some" about DeSantis' view, while 50% had heard "not much" or nothing." Among registered voters, the awareness was split 50% to 49%.
The poll was conducted March 16-17 and surveyed 2,010 registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus/minus 2 percentage points.
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