The vast majority of current polls show Trump ahead of other Republican 2024 Presidential sweepstakes contestants…
But every once in a while a poll comes in with the Florida Republican Governor ahead of the ex-President….
Trump IS carrying TONS of legal problems on his back and it has been that Republican voters around the country do seem to be getting tired of his crying and antics….
Lead for DeSantis — One new national poll of Republican primary voters from WPA Intelligence shared with Playbook, put DeSantis ahead of Trump, 40 percent to 31 percent, even when a long line of other Republicans such as former vice president Mike Pence were included. That lead for the GOP governor jumps dramatically to 55 percent to 37 percent in a direct DeSantis-Trump matchup. (The survey was done among 1,000 voters was done earlier this month and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.)
Explaining it — “Our poll found that while Republican primary voters want a candidate who’s a fighter and will take on the status quo, they also want one who can win a general election in 2024,” said Chris Wilson, founder and CEO of the outfit that did the poll. “This, combined with a perception that former President Trump hurt the GOP in November’s midterm elections, seems to be bolstering Gov. Ron DeSantis’ potential candidacy.”
Other numbers— Meanwhile, another poll that came out on Wednesday also attempted to shine a light on the DeSantis-Trump rivalry. That NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll also found that a majority — 54 percent — of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents want someone besides Trump to be at the top of the ticket in 2024.
Where support comes from— That poll found that Trump is supported by white evangelical Christians, white people without degrees, those who live in small towns or rural areas and lower-income voters, while those supporting DeSantis are college graduates, those who make more than $50,000 a year, people who live in big cities or the suburbs, and Republican-leaning independents.
Change could come— Of course, polls only reflect a fleeting moment in time. One caveat for DeSantis in this poll is that nearly a quarter of those polled — 23 percent — are unsure about the governor. That could change in the next few weeks as DeSantis goes on a book tour and continues to push his agenda through the Legislature. The question is whether Trump starts to ramp up his criticism of DeSantis at the same time….