DeSantis sees approval rating drop during coronavirus pandemic
TAMPA, Fla. - While many governors across the US have seen their approval ratings go up during the coronavirus pandemic, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has seen his numbers drop.
FiveThirtyEight, a website dedicated to political statistical analysis, listed fifteen governors from across the country: eight Democrats and seven Republicans. Their chart listed their approval ratings from before and after the pandemic -- and all except DeSantis saw their numbers skyrocket.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California saw the biggest increase at 41%, boasting an 83% overall approval rating in his state. Fellow Democrat Andrew Cuomo of New York came in second, going from 47% to 79% approval for his handling of the crisis. Coming in third was Ohio's Republican governor, Mike DeWine, who saw a 31% increase in his ratings.
(FiveThirtyEight)
However, while all others on the list enjoyed double-digit increases, DeSantis saw his number drop 7%, going from 58% down to 51%.
DeSantis has faced criticism for waiting until April to issue a statewide stay-at-home order, and for refusing to close Florida's beaches even as images of large spring break crowds went viral.
He's also had to deal with widespread problems with the state's unemployment website, which became quickly overwhelmed as thousands across Florida tried to submit applications.
Prior to the virus outbreak, DeSantis was considered to be one of the more popular governors in the country, garnering bipartisan approval across the state.
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