JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An overwhelming majority of Republican voters in Florida say they will vote in the party’s presidential primary coming up in March, according to a poll from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab.
The poll, released Tuesday morning, shows 90% of the likely Republican voters surveyed said they will definitely vote in the primary. Another 9% said they would “probably vote.”
The poll also found the upcoming presidential election is weighing on Republican voters’ minds. Of those surveyed, 69% said they have put “a great deal” of thought into the primary.
About a quarter said they have put some thought into it, and 8% have thought about it very little.
UNF’s PORL also used the survey to look ahead at the 2026 Florida governor’s race, asking likely Republican voters who they would vote for if the primary were held today.
Many — 40% — said they didn’t know or refused to answer. Of those who made a choice, 22% said they would vote for Casey DeSantis. Both Byron Donalds and Matt Gaetz got 9% of the potential early support.
The survey also asked respondents to weigh in on their level of trust in the U.S. House of Representatives, in the wake of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s removal.
Just 8% said they have a great deal of trust in the House, with 31% indicating some trust. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they have very little trust in the U.S. House of Representatives, and 20% said they have no trust at all.
Of those who responded, 49% said McCarthy’s ouster didn’t affect their level of trust in the House – 27% said it decreased their trust and 16% said it increased their trust.
“The situation in Congress seems to have made a bad impression on about a third of likely Republican voters,” said Dr. Michael Binder, PORL faculty director and professor of political science at UNF.
For the methodology and full results of the poll, click here.
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