Trump vs. DeSantis: One could be buzzing while the other clearly runs away in the lead
Recent polls suggest that the former president donald trump built a lead in the Republican presidential primary race, and the last Quinnipiac University survey seems to confirm the voters’ preference.
What happened: About 46% of Republican and Republican voters support Trump, compared to 32% who favor the governor of Florida Ron DeSantis, the Quinnipiac National Poll found. The numbers are an improvement for Trump, who led DeSantis by a margin of 42% to 36% last month.
While Trump officially announced his candidacy in November, DeSantis has yet to confirm his intention to run.
On the other hand, the former Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley, who also threw his hat in the ring, only managed to garner support from 5% of respondents. None of the remaining 12 declared or potential candidates received more than 3% of the vote.
“DeSantis may be the buzz in the GOP conversation, but for now, Trump sees no erosion and, in fact, enjoys a lead in the Republican primary,” polls analyst Tim Malloy noted.
In a hypothetical head-to-head, Trump would receive 51% of the vote and DeSantis 40%, according to the poll.
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Why it matters: Amid the momentum DeSantis received after his landslide victory in the Florida gubernatorial election, Trump went on the offensive against the governor in late January, The New York Times noted.
DeSantis, who did not respond in kind to the former president, has since slowly lost voter support.
Quinnipiac’s March poll found DeSantis and Trump have a 36% favor rating each, although Trump’s 58% disadvantage rating is higher than DeSantis’ 52%. What could potentially tip the scales in DeSantis’ favor is the remaining 23% of those polled, who said they hadn’t heard enough from the governor yet. If they decide to back DeSantis, the governor’s favor rating would surpass Trump’s.
Biden versus Trump? Quinnipiac University’s poll of registered voters, regardless of party orientation, found that President Joe Biden would receive 49% of the vote in a hypothetical game against Trump.
If Biden were to run against DeSantis, however, the poll results suggest the race could be neck and neck: Biden would receive 47% to DeSantis’ 46%.
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