Former President Donald Trump’s support among GOP primary voters continues to increase, while Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis struggles in important 2024 match-ups, polling shows.
DeSantis, who hasn’t officially decided to run for president, would lose to Biden and Trump if the election were held today, according to Morning Consult’s 2024 GOP primary tracker released March 7.
Among potential Republican voters, 53% said they would vote for Trump over other potential presidential candidates, including DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. With Trump running, DeSantis received 28% support from voters, former Vice President Mike Pence earned 7%, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley grabbed just 4%.
DeSantis is still the clear runner-up for GOP voters if Trump decides to drop out of the race, with 48% of voters saying they would vote for the Florida Governor as a second option, Morning Consult found. Pence and Haley also do better when Trump is not an option. The former Vice President’s support jumped from 7% to 16% among Republican voters with Trump out of the race. Haley’s support increased by 2 points, the poll found. (RELATED: Remember When Democrats Shilled For Anti-Police Activists? It’s Coming Back To Bite Them)
In a head-to-head match-up against Biden, DeSantis fails to gain enough support to win, according to Morning Consult. If the 2024 presidential election were held today, 44% of voters would vote for Biden, while 40% said they would vote for DeSantis.
In a rematch against Trump, Biden loses by 1-point, Morning Consult reported.
The survey also found that Trump not only leads DeSantis in a head-to-head 2024 presidential match-up but has also increased his lead over the Florida Governor since the beginning of 2023.
2024 GOP Primary Polling Trends by Morning Consult
Jan 2:
• Trump — 45% (+11)
• DeSantis — 34%
• Pence — 8%
• Haley — 3%Feb 25:
• Trump — 48% (+18)
• DeSantis — 30%
• Pence — 7%
• Haley — 6%MARCH 5:
• Trump — 53% (+25)
• DeSantis — 28%
• Pence — 7%
• Haley — 4% pic.twitter.com/kUvW3TGsRK— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) March 7, 2023
Republican voters in Morning Consult’s poll released on Jan. 2 gave Trump an 11-point lead over DeSantis. In the poll’s Feb. 25 release, Trump increased his lead to 18 points over DeSantis largely because the Florida governor’s support among Republican voters dropped 4%. Trump’s lead is now 25 points over DeSantis.
Morning Consult surveyed 3,071 potential Republican primary voters between March 3-5 with an unweighted margin of error of +/- 2.