Former President Donald Trump has extended his lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the latest Quinnipiac University national poll forecasting the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.[0] According to the survey, Trump had 46% support among Republican and Republican-leaning voters, while DeSantis had 32%.[0] Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence both locked in 6% of the vote, while every other listed potential candidate including South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin received under 2% support.[1]
Back in November, according to the same surveyor, DeSantis had a 43% approval rating and was ahead of Trump by 11 points.[2] In July of 2022, Trump held a 19-point lead over DeSantis in the same survey, which represented the peak of the increase.[2]
Trump has been increasingly aggressive in attacking DeSantis as the Florida governor inches toward a presidential campaign, posing potentially the biggest threat to date to Trump’s bid for the GOP’s 2024 nomination.[3] Last week, the former president told reporters aboard his personal plane that he “maybe” regretted endorsing DeSantis in the 2018 Florida gubernatorial election.[4] Later in the evening, he used a speech in Iowa to take several potshots at DeSantis, accusing him of wanting to “decimate” Social Security and comparing him to Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the GOP’s 2012 presidential nominee.[5]
Fox News recently complimented Trump for not “having lunch with white supremacists” since November, an apparent reference to DeSantis’ meeting with former Trump advisor Steve Bannon in February.[6]
In a hypothetical match-up for president, President Joe Biden leads over Trump 49 – 45% amongst all registered voters, the Quinnipiac University poll states.[7] In a hypothetical contest between Biden and DeSantis, Biden only has a 1-point advantage, at 47% to DeSantis’ 46%.[7]
Meanwhile, former Vice President Mike Pence has emerged as one of the more outspoken Republicans about Trump, offering his strongest public rebuke yet of his ex-boss’s rhetoric and actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to overturn his 2020 election loss.[8]
This survey, which was conducted from March 9-13 and included 1,795 adults, has a margin of error of ±2.3%.[1]
0. “Trump Extends Significant Lead Over DeSantis In New GOP Poll | News Radio 1200 WOAI” iHeart, 16 Mar. 2023, https://woai.iheart.com/content/2023-03-16-trump-extends-significant-lead-over-desantis-in-new-gop-poll/
1. “2024 poll: Trump and DeSantis neck and neck among Republican voters for GOP nomination, economy top issue” Fox News, 14 Mar. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2024-poll-trump-desantis-neck-neck-among-republican-voters-gop-nomination-economy-top-issue
2. “Ron DeSantis slides in 2024 Texas Primary poll” Florida Politics, 16 Mar. 2023, https://floridapolitics.com/archives/595946-ron-desantis-slides-in-2024-texas-primary-poll
3. “In surprise, Trump goes after DeSantis on policy” The Hill, 15 Mar. 2023, https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3902024-in-surprise-trump-goes-after-desantis-on-policy
4. “Trump and DeSantis Neck and Neck in Biden Matchup: Poll” Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/trump-desantis-neck-neck-biden-matchup-poll-1787827
5. “Nastiest primary yet? Trump raises question with DeSantis attack” The Hill, 14 Mar. 2023, https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3900159-nastiest-primary-yet-trump-raises-question-with-desantis-attack/
6. “Donald Trump finally gets a second wind, tearing into Ron DeSantis like it’s 2015 (video)” Boing Boing, 14 Mar. 2023, https://boingboing.net/2023/03/14/donald-trump-finally-gets-a-second-wind-tearing-into-ron-desantis-like-its-2015-video.html
7. “Trump widens lead in 2024 primary race: Quinnipiac poll” Yahoo News, 15 Mar. 2023, https://news.yahoo.com/trump-widens-lead-2024-primary-183714796.html
8. “Trump views DeSantis as strongest GOP challenger in 2024” Ponca City News, 15 Mar. 2023, https://www.poncacitynews.com/news/trump-views-desantis-strongest-gop-challenger-2024
