Ron DeSantis Gets Strong Approval Marks for Hurricane Ian Response: Poll

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis received high marks for his response to Hurricane Ian, according to a new poll.

Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida last month, bringing high winds and strong flooding to the Fort Myers and Cape Coral area. The storm left a trail of damage, killing at least 125 people and leaving thousands more to deal with its devastation. Efforts to rebuild communities struck by Ian are already underway, with the state and federal governments collaborating to bring relief to Floridians.

The hurricane served as a test for DeSantis—a Republican elected in 2018 and known for his at-times brash political style—ahead of the Florida gubernatorial election on November 8. DeSantis is being challenged by Democratic Representative Charlie Crist. Throughout the relief effort, DeSantis received praise for appearing to put partisan politics aside and working with the White House to coordinate relief efforts.

Voters approved of DeSantis' hurricane response, according to a new The Economist/YouGov poll that surveyed 1,500 U.S. adults from October 1 to 4. The poll carries a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.

Fifty-four percent of respondents said they either strongly or somewhat approved of how DeSantis dealt with the hurricane. That included 80 percent of Republicans and 43 percent of Democrats—a sign of bipartisan support for the governor, whose administration faced scrutiny for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and controversial legislation including the "Don't Say Gay" bill signed into law earlier this year.

Most Americans also approve of the government's overall response to Hurricane Ian, according to the poll.

Fifty-five percent of respondents said they approved of how the federal government responded to the hurricane, 60 percent approved of the state's government response and 60 percent approved of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)'s response, the poll found.

President Joe Biden, a Democrat who has been a target of DeSantis, praised him in a moment of bipartisanship while surveying hurricane damage when he visited the state on Wednesday. "What the governor's done is pretty remarkable," Biden said during a press conference. "I think he's done a good job."

There has been some criticism in the response to the storm, however. Officials in Lee County, the area hit hardest by the hurricane, faced scrutiny for issuing their evacuation order on September 27—less than one day before the hurricane struck. DeSantis defended the local officials, saying they were "following the data" on where the storm was expected to hit.

He also accused the "national regime media" of wanting the hurricane to hit Florida to advance a "political agenda."

DeSantis Response Could Boost Reelection Odds

DeSantis receiving strong approval from voters for his handling of Hurricane Ian recovery could help his reelection bid—as well as future electoral prospects. Florida has long been one of the most evenly divided states, and Democrats are seeking to win control of the governorship for the first time since the 1990s.

Pollsters haven't published any independent polling conducted after the hurricane struck, but DeSantis was already seen as the favorite for reelection. He leads Crist—who served as state governor as a Republican and independent from 2007 to 2011—by 6.5 percentage points in recent polls, according to FiveThirtyEight's polling aggregate.

Hurricane Ian Latest Updates

Relief efforts have made progress in southwest Florida. Bridge repairs to Pine Island were restored by Wednesday. Meanwhile, crews were working to restore access to the Sanibel Causeway, according to a press release from DeSantis' office.

The federal government has also made efforts to bring relief to Floridians. Biden issued an expedited major disaster declaration for the storm, offering "direct Federal assistance for costs associated with search and rescue, sheltering, feeding, and other emergency measures to save lives" for 60 days, according to the White House.

Newsweek reached out to DeSantis' office for comment.