Trump Dominates GOP Poll With 43-Point Lead, DeSantis Falters, New Challenger Surfaces

A new poll underscores the ongoing dominance of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump against a crowded field of contenders fighting to win the GOP nomination for the 2024 presidential election.

What Happened: Despite facing multiple court cases linked to two previous indictments and a potential third one looming, the former president continues to garner support in a prominent national poll.

The latest weekly election poll of Republican voters by Morning Consult shows that Trump increased his lead from last week. Here’s a look at who Republican voters would vote for today, with the previous percentage from last week in parentheses.

Donald Trump: 59% (55%)

Ron DeSantis: 16% (20%)

Vivek Ramaswamy: 8% (8%)

Mike Pence: 6% (7%)

Nikki Haley: 4% (4%)

Tim Scott: 2% (3%)

Chris Christie: 2% (2%)

The poll shows Trump with a 43-point lead, increasing his leads of 35 points and 38 points in the last two weeks.

DeSantis sees his lowest support in the poll from Morning Consult since tracking began in December 2022. The drop comes after DeSantis has cut members of his staff and is seen as potentially looking to reset his campaign.

In last week’s poll, DeSantis rebounded back from a previous low of 17% support to 20% before hitting new lows this week.

Trump’s 59% support is his highest in several weeks and could signal continued dominance over the competition.

Ramaswamy continues to secure his third-place position with 8% support, a level he has maintained for three weeks since overtaking Pence four weeks ago. Meanwhile, Pence and Scott each dropped one percentage point in the latest poll, further expanding the divide between the frontrunners and the rest of the field.

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Why It’s Important: While the distance between Trump and GOP contenders widens, Ramaswamy continues to show promise in the data.

Along with holding steady in third place, Ramaswamy has picked up support as a second-place option among the favorites.

Among voters who select Trump first, 36% choose DeSantis as their next selection, while Ramaswamy is selected by 18%. Of voters who select DeSantis first, 44% select Trump as their next selection, and Ramaswamy is picked by 17% of voters. In last week’s poll, Ramaswamy received 17% of support from Trump voters and 14% from DeSantis voters.

Ramaswamy receives his highest-ever favorability rating since his campaign was announced in February, with 51%. Ramaswamy’s net positive score of 32 points is the highest in the field.

An unfavorable rating of 14% for Ramaswamy is the lowest of all candidates surveyed for the week.

Next week’s poll could reveal whether DeSantis can regain momentum, or if he will face an increasingly challenging path. It could also indicate if Ramaswamy can leverage his favorable ratings and potential for second place into more first-place votes.

Read Next: Trump's Favor For Vivek Ramaswamy: Will It Stand As He Threatens DeSantis, Second Place Position

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