“I like Trump’s policies, but not some of the extracurriculars,” said David St. Peter, a 62-year-old printing-industry salesman. “I’d love to see DeSantis run.”

Mr. St. Peter said he isn’t convinced there were “enough irregularities” in the 2020 presidential election to make a difference in the outcome, and he thinks Mr. Trump “needs to let go” of his obsession with the topic.

Angela Buesing, a 50-year-old information-technology manager who twice voted for Mr. Trump, said she would like a GOP nominee with a “better moral compass” and worries the former president wouldn’t be able to win over enough independent voters.

“A lot of people I know are against him, and they just can’t get past his demeanor and past actions,” she said. “I think there are better Republican candidates out there.”

Mr. Marquardt said he hears many in the county talking about Mr. DeSantis, someone he said would bring “the same kind of conservatism and policy potential without that personal baggage that Trump seems to have.”