According to an Ipsos Mori poll conducted in mid December, more than half of Republicans (54 percent) say they would back Trump as the GOP nominee for President, with DeSantis a distant second with just 11 percent—a total of 43 points behind.

However, two more recent surveys showed that opinion of DeSantis is improving slightly.

A YouGov poll conducted between December 14 and 20 showed that while 55 percent of Republicans still back Trump, DeSantis got the backing of 20 percent of respondents as their top choice for the race to the White House, slimming the margin to 35 percent.

The Florida governor was also the top second choice, with 37 percent naming him their backup pick for the party’s nomination.