Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Finishes 1st In Straw Poll Ahead Trump At Conservative Conference

The Western Conservative Summit, an annual meeting of prominent U.S. conservatives, conducted a straw poll at their convention last weekend for the 2024 presidential election, with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Florida) finishing in first.

DeSantis has been a favorite in the Republican Party, and his role during the pandemic has only boosted his popularity. He has stood up against harsh COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, and he has spoken out against both critical race theory and tech censorship in his state, issues which have become central to the GOP in recent years.

DeSantis and his team have not confirmed nor denied that he will be running in 2024.

Former President Donald Trump has said that if he runs for re-election he will happily have DeSantis as a running mate. “Sure I would … I would certainly consider Ron,” Trump told Fox Business recently.

The Western Conservative Summit took a poll of the about 500 people present and more online. Attendees were given a choice of 31 candidates, both Democrats and Republicans.

DeSantis won with 74 percent approval, followed by Trump with 71 percent, and in third Ted Cruz with just over 42 percent.

Fox’s Tucker Carlson announced on his Ruthless podcast, he will not be running, despite rumors.

“That seems like a fun job. I’m sure my poor children would love that. Can you imagine?” he said. “I’ve known and talked to every president, you know, for a while, for like more than 30 years. And you know, I can’t think of anyone whose life was improved by that. I mean, I guess if I was the last person on Earth, I could do it, but I mean, it seems pretty unlikely that I would be that guy.”