Iowa caucus, the starting point of presidential primaries is held in the state of Iowa every four years. A new poll from the state shows the Republicans are strongly supporting Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis as their preferred candidate for 2024.
The Neighborhood Research and Media poll, released on Monday shows 32% of the respondents prefer Gov. DeSantis for 2024. President Trump slightly trails DeSantis and is favored by 30% of responders. This lead seems massive since DeSantis has gained a major 23-point lead since June, where former President Trump was the preferred candidate, and was favored by 38% of the responders and Gov. DeSantis only had 17% of favorability. In December, this gap was more significant, and President Trump lead Gov. DeSantis with a 56%-12% lead.
“With support barely half what it was a year ago in a time when DeSantis’s vote has nearly tripled, Trump becomes a severe underdog in the race,” Rick Shaftan of Neighborhood Research and Media commented on the results.
The state of Iowa is a caucus and not a primary-focused state. The second leading candidate in major polls matters a whole lot more than other states. When participants were asked about their second choice, 48% of the responders preferred Gov. DeSantis, and 42% preferred President Trump. Former Vice President Mike Pence and South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem were favored by a small margin, 5% and 1% of the responders respectively.
Similarly, another poll conducted by Morning Consult and Politico released Monday morning showed 65% of the participants feeling that former President Trump should “probably” or “definitely” not run in 2024, and 53% of the voters preferring that he “definitely” not contest for the GOP nomination.
Another YouGov national poll released on Friday showed 42% of Republicans and Republican “leaning” independents prefer Gov. DeSantis as the GOP nominee in 2024. President Trump was only favored by 35% of the responders in this poll.
Latest Donald Trump Favorability Ratings (Nov. 13 – 15):
Among registered voters:
Favorable – 41%
Unfavorable – 57%https://t.co/cMFVHNLuOs pic.twitter.com/szlUwHvqjG— YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) November 21, 2022
What do you make of these polls favoring Gov. Ron DeSantis over Former President Trump? Do you believe that Trump would have an RNC contestant in the 2024 Republican Primary? Share your thoughts in our Facebook comments!
H/T: Neighborhood Research and Media, Politico, YouGovAmerica