A 2024 Republican presidential primary poll shows former President Donald J. Trump holding a colossal 40-point lead over the rest of the potential field if he decides to run.
The Harvard CAPS-Harris poll, obtained by the Hill, reveals that Trump drew 56 percent of respondents’ support, while 16 percent chose Gov. Ron Desantis (R-FL), making him the second leading candidate. Former Vice President Mike Pence garnered seven percent of the response if Trump were to run.
Trump has repeatedly teased and hinted at a 2024 bid since December 2020, including at CPAC earlier this year and a Georgia rally in March. He more recently told the New Yorker he is “very close to making a decision.”
Trump recently spoke about the possibility squaring off with DeSantis in the 2024 primaries.
“I don’t know if Ron is running, and I don’t ask him,” he told the New Yorker. “It’s his prerogative. I think I would win.”
The idea of a Trump-DeSantis ticket in 2024 has also made headlines, with the 45th President offering his thoughts on the Florida governor as a potential running mate. During an interview on Newsmax TV’s Wake Up America, host Rob Finnerty asked Trump about the possibility.
“Well, I get along with him,” Trump responded. “I was very responsible for his success because I endorsed him, and he went up like a rocket ship.”
While this poll has found the 45th President will dominate the field if he chooses to run, a different race begins to take shape should he not launch a candidacy in 2024.
If Trump does not run, DeSantis garners 36 percent of the vote, taking a 19-point lead over the field. The second closest candidate is Pence, at 17 percent, while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-FL) and former Ambassador to United Nations Nikki Haley both draw 8 percent. The Florida governor has risen to prominence in the Republican Party with his handling of the Wuhan coronavirus in the Sunshine State and his signing of legislation “dissolving Disney’s special tax and governing district,” as Breitbart News noted.
The poll surveyed 1,308 registered voters June 28-29. “The survey is an online sample drawn from the Harris Panel and weighted to reflect known demographics,” the Hill notes. “As a representative online sample, it does not report a probability confidence interval.”