Ron DeSantis delivered one nasty surprise that has the 2028 Republican field taking notice

The 2028 presidential race is heating up faster than anyone expected.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just sent shockwaves through the Republican establishment with his latest polling numbers.

And Ron DeSantis delivered one nasty surprise that has the 2028 Republican field taking notice.

DeSantis breaks through with double-digit polling surge

Governor Ron DeSantis hit a major milestone that political insiders didn’t see coming this early in the race.

The co/efficient poll puts DeSantis at 10% among Republican voters – his best numbers in months and good enough for third place.

Vice President JD Vance dominates with 61% while President Donald Trump holds 24%.

Conducted from June 12 through June 16, the survey breaks DeSantis out of single digits for the first time since his presidential campaign collapsed.

The Florida Governor has been stuck in the political wilderness since dropping out of the 2024 race after a dismal showing in Iowa.

For months, DeSantis couldn’t crack that magic 10% number that separates real contenders from also-rans.

DeSantis outpaces fellow Floridian Marco Rubio

Secretary of State Marco Rubio took a beating in the same poll.

Despite serving in Trump’s inner circle, Rubio pulled just 5% – a full five points behind DeSantis.

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy also fell behind DeSantis with 6% support, suggesting the Florida Governor is consolidating support among conservative voters looking for alternatives to the current frontrunners.

This represents a significant improvement for DeSantis compared to other recent polling.

An Atlas Intel poll from May showed Rubio at 10% with DeSantis trailing at 8%, while a Rasmussen poll from last month had both Florida politicians tied at 5%.

The JL Partners poll from May had DeSantis at 8% and Rubio at 6% – showing the Governor slowly climbing while Rubio stays stuck.

The battle for Trump’s blessing intensifies

Trump won’t say who gets his endorsement for 2028, only mentioning that Rubio and Vance could both make the cut.

This uncertainty has created an opening for candidates like DeSantis to build their own base of support independent of Trump’s explicit backing.

After abandoning his presidential bid last year, DeSantis kept the door open for another run, saying he hadn’t “ruled anything out” and would “see what the future holds.”

The Governor’s improved polling suggests Republican voters are keeping their options open despite Vance’s commanding lead in most surveys.

Vance, meanwhile, continues to take shots at potential rivals, recently attacking a social media poster for supporting DeSantis in the previous primary race.

DeSantis faces uphill battle against Vance juggernaut

DeSantis hitting double digits is nice, but Vance still towers over everyone else.

Poll after poll shows Vance crushing the competition, sometimes pulling over 60% among Republicans.

A McLaughlin and Associates poll conducted from June 10 to 15 showed Vance at 36% support, more than doubling Donald Trump Jr.’s 14% and leaving little room for other contenders.

Vance leads among conservatives at 43%, white voters at 38%, Hispanic Republicans at 28%, and voters over 55 at 39%, building a broad coalition that will be difficult for rivals to crack.

Vance beats other candidates with men (38%) and women (34%) – the guy appeals to everybody.

What this means for the Republican Party

DeSantis breaking into double digits means 2028 won’t be a Vance coronation.

Sure, the Vice President looks unstoppable right now, but having DeSantis, Rubio, and maybe Trump Jr. in the mix keeps things interesting.

Republicans still have choices, and DeSantis hitting 10% proves some voters want alternatives.

That’s good news for primary voters but could spell trouble for party unity later.

DeSantis keeps his conservative base happy with his Florida record and culture war fights.

It’s early, but DeSantis just reminded everyone he’s not going away quietly.

Can he build on this? That’s the million-dollar question.

One thing’s for sure – this race just got more competitive.