DeSantis' campaign is falling apart so quickly that a new poll has him behind Chris Christie in New Hampshire

• For months, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign sat in second in GOP primary polls behind former President Donald Trump.
• Now, DeSantis has a new GOP candidate to worry about: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

According to a recent Emerson College poll, more likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters said they prefer former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The results of the poll, which was conducted between August 9 and 11, show that 9% of likely GOP primary voters in New Hampshire want Christie to be the Republican nominee, compared to the 8% who said they'd rather have DeSantis represent the party.

The poll's finding that DeSantis is slipping and Chris Christie is rising is far from alone in New Hampshire, with recent polls from co/efficient, National Research, and the Manhattan Institute putting the former governor of New Jersey tied or within the margin of error of DeSantis.

Former President Donald Trump was far and away the most desired GOP candidate to the polled likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters, as 49% of them said they plan to support him.

When comparing the August poll to the findings of an Emerson Poll from March, it appears that DeSantis and his campaign are moving in the entirely wrong direction if he wants to have a chance at catching up to Trump and Christie moving forward.

In March, the Emerson College survey found that 17% of likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters said they would support DeSantis for the GOP nomination. Eight months later, DeSantis has dropped nine percentage points in the polls.

DeSantis' drop in the polls coincides with his campaign's repeated self-inflicted errors, such as when it posted a homophobic video on Twitter or when a staffer shared a video online that included a Nazi symbol.

While Christie has taken some shots at DeSantis while on the campaign trail, he's almost entirely fixated his campaign and media appearances on Trump's missteps in office and how he believes he's the best candidate to defeat the 45th president.

DeSantis will have a chance to regain some of the support he's lost from the GOP base at the upcoming Republican presidential debate on August 23. Trump has repeatedly hinted that he may skip out on the event, leaving ample opportunity for DeSantis to sway any unsure voters.