DeSantis losing to Disney in new poll with key voter bloc

Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) are set to battle in a federal court, and it appears the entertainment giant has an advantage in the court of public opinion among independents.

A Yahoo-YouGov poll, conducted from May 5-8, showed that a plurality of independent voters believe courts should side with Disney, 42%, over the Florida governor, 32%, in their battle.

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The lawsuit, brought by Disney in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, alleges that DeSantis and other state officials engaged in a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain State officials.”

The lawsuit came after DeSantis restructured Disney’s special district encompassing the Walt Disney World Resort, giving the state more oversight, and aided the new district board in voiding an agreement made by Disney and the previous board that undercut its authority to govern.

Disney argues the actions are in retaliation to its comments on the Parental Rights in Education Act, which was signed into law last year. The law outlawed classrooms from kindergarten through third grade from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity and forbade schools from withholding information from parents about students’ health and well-being. The company said in a statement in March 2022 that its “goal” as a company was to see the law “repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts.”

Despite having the edge on who should win in the courts among independents, a slight plurality believes Disney was inappropriate in its criticism of the law, 42%. A slight plurality also believes DeSantis was inappropriate to restructure Disney’s district in response, 40%.

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The poll also found that only 34% of voters had heard “a lot” about the feud between Disney and DeSantis.

The feud between DeSantis and the company continued Thursday after DeSantis signed a transportation bill into law featuring a provision that would make the monorail system at the Walt Disney World Resort subject to increased state oversight. Disney had maintained full autonomy over the district since its creation in 1967.

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