With the 2024 presidential election looming, potential candidates are already making moves to secure their place in the race. On the Republican side, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been making headlines with his recent campaign tour, which has taken him to several key states including New Hampshire and Ohio. However, DeSantis faces strong competition from former President Donald Trump, who remains a dominant figure in the Republican Party despite his recent indictment on charges of inciting an insurrection.
According to recent polling data, Trump remains the favorite among Republican voters, with 59% of those surveyed expressing support for him in a hypothetical primary race. DeSantis trails far behind with just 18% support, while former Vice President Mike Pence is in third place with 10%.[0] Trump’s lead over DeSantis is even larger among nearly every category of Republican respondent, with the exception of those with post-graduate degrees, among whom DeSantis holds a slim 51-49 edge.[1]
Despite these numbers, DeSantis has continued to campaign aggressively, with recent stops in several key states and plans for trips to Israel, the UK, Japan, and Korea. However, his campaign has faced criticism from some quarters, with Trump’s team accusing him of flip-flopping on his previous position of not campaigning full-time for president during the Florida legislative session while still collecting a salary and having taxpayers pay for his travel and security.
The race for the 2024 Democratic nomination remains more uncertain, with President Joe Biden yet to officially announce his candidacy but indicating that he intends to run again.[2] Activist and author Marianne Williamson has announced her intention to seek the nomination, but other potential candidates remain in the mix.[3] A recent ranking by The Washington Post put Senator Kamala Harris at the top of the list, followed by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker.
As the race for the 2024 presidential nomination heats up, the spotlight will remain on DeSantis and Trump as they jostle for position in a highly competitive field. While DeSantis has shown himself to be a formidable campaigner, he faces an uphill battle to overtake the former president, who remains a dominant force in the Republican Party and the wider political landscape.
0. “Trump leads Ron DeSantis by 8% in first Iowa head-to-head poll post-arrest” New York Post , 6 Apr. 2023, https://nypost.com/2023/04/06/donald-trump-leads-ron-desantis-in-iowa-head-to-head-poll
1. “Trump Leads DeSantis In Our 2024 Republican Primary Polling Average” FiveThirtyEight, 12 Apr. 2023, https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trump-desantis-national-polls
2. “Trump Warns Ron DeSantis On Running For President” Benzinga, 11 Apr. 2023, https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/04/31736542/trump-warns-ron-desantis-running-for-president-means-losing-cherished-and-massive-maga-vote-base
3. “Inside DeSantis’s response to Trump and his indictment” The Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/09/desantis-trump-indictment-republicans-2024
