Trump continues to increase popularity over DeSantis, but is still slightly behind Biden, poll shows

Former President Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president of the United States on Nov. 15, following the 2022 midterm. He said he wanted to make America “great and glorious again” and criticized President Joe Biden’s policies. He also claimed that the Republican Party cannot afford to nominate “a politician or conventional candidate” if it wants to win back the White House.

Other Republicans who have announced or are considering running for president in 2024 include former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton. So far, the not a single Democrat has announced a candidacy as many of those interested are waiting if Joe Biden will decide to run again in 2024.

With announcing his candidacy early, Trump has the ability to seek support from GOP members over other potential Republican candidates. And he is definitely using the position.

The latest Quinnipiac University poll has revealed a notable increase in former President Donald Trump’s popularity amongst Republicans and Republican-leaning voters. According to the poll, Trump has widened his lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to 14 points, with 46 percent of respondents showing their support for him. This surge in support is a significant jump from last month’s poll that showed Trump leading DeSantis by only 6 points.

In this month’s poll, Trump’s closest competitor, Ron DeSantis, trailed behind with 32 percent of the vote. The former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, followed in third place with a mere 5 percent, while no other candidate surpassed 3 percent.

Moreover, in a head-to-head match-up, Trump maintains an 11-point lead over DeSantis, with 51 percent of respondents favoring him over the Florida Governor’s 40 percent.

This recent surge in support for Trump signifies a significant shift in the Republican Party’s political landscape, as the former President continues to remain a dominant figure in the GOP’s political realm. It also presents a challenging scenario for other potential candidates who are vying for the party’s presidential nomination in 2024.

Governor Ron DeSantis has often been viewed as the most promising contender to challenge former President Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. Despite consistently placing in the top two in hypothetical primary polls, Trump has continued to maintain his lead as the frontrunner in most surveys.

It’s no surprise that DeSantis’s popularity has risen among the Republican base as he has gained a reputation as a strong and vocal supporter of conservative policies. However, the former president’s continued dominance in primary polls suggests that he still holds a commanding presence in the party and remains a formidable force in Republican politics.

According to a CNN poll that was released to the public few days ago, DeSantis was only 4 points behind former president Trump among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. However, it seems like Trump’s early candidacy announcement was the best step as he continues to gather support from all across the country.

“DeSantis might be the buzz in the GOP conversation, but for now Trump is seeing no erosion and, in fact, enjoys a bump in his lead in the Republican primary,” Tim Malloy, a polling analyst for Quinnipiac, said in a release for the poll.

The poll also showed that president Biden appears to have a slight edge over Donald Trump in a hypothetical match-up among registered voters, leading by 4 points, 49 percent to 45 percent. However, the same poll shows that Governor DeSantis of Florida is a tougher opponent for Biden, with the two candidates neck-and-neck, as Biden leads by only 1 point, 47 percent to 46 percent.

The poll, conducted among 1,795 U.S. adults from March 9 to 13, included 1,635 self-identified registered voters, and the margin of error for these polls was 2.4 points. Meanwhile, the margin of error for the 677 Republicans and Republican-leaning voters included in the poll was 3.8 percent.

It’s interesting to note that despite Biden’s slight advantage over Trump in the poll, DeSantis appears to be a more formidable challenger for Biden, suggesting that the 2024 presidential race may be more closely contested than some might expect.