Polling Shows Trump Losing By 9% Ahead Of 2024 Primary

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A new poll by the conservative organization Club for Growth found Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis leading Donald Trump by nine percent in a potential match-up in the upcoming Republican presidential primary.

When other candidates were included, Trump slightly led — but depending on the stage of the race, it’s not clear how many other serious candidates would even be on the ballot. It’s perfectly possible most of the serious alternatives could drop out before most of the voting is even close to done; just look at how the Democratic primary progressed in 2020. In the new polling, which was on a national level, DeSantis had 49 percent of the support, and Trump had just 40 percent. When a total of seven candidates were included, Trump led by four percent, with 37 percent of the overall support — meaning it’s not as though he was consolidating supporters beyond his other level. Nobody in the polling with over half a dozen names included came remotely close to Trump or DeSantis, which includes Nikki Haley, a former Trump official who will soon be announcing a run, per reports.

DeSantis hasn’t announced a campaign for president, but talk of him potentially doing so continues — with Trump predictably mad and trying to push down talk of the governor making a strong showing in polls. “For all of my many supporters, and the number is higher than ever before, I am pleased to report that “our” Poll numbers are Excellent,” Trump predictably claimed this past weekend, discussing his campaign polling. It’s unclear Trump would even defeat Biden if the ex-president makes it out of the primary. Morning Consult polling done entirely this month showed Biden ahead of Trump, although other polls measuring voters’ opinions in that potential electoral confrontation have found the opposite outcome. Notably for Republicans, that same polling showed DeSantis tied with Biden, suggesting the governor could be in a stronger position to win.

“What the club believes the Republican Party should do is make sure whoever we nominate will actually win,” Club for Growth’s David McIntosh said. “The party should be open to looking at a different candidate. DeSantis is in the strongest position.” If eventually successful, a DeSantis presidential candidacy or presidency would threaten to deliver policies to the U.S. like restrictions on discussions in workplaces and schools of basic concepts like sexual orientation and gender identity and further restrictions on abortion, considering the governor’s established record. That record also includes opposition to a Congressional district previously drawn to help provide Black Floridians with representation in the House, suggesting that roadblocks to ensuring equal opportunities to participate in elections could also follow a DeSantis win next year.