Former President Donald Trump continued to lead the field of Republican presidential candidates ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Here's a look at the latest.
What Happened: Over the last month, Trump has dominated political headlines with an ongoing civil fraud lawsuit against The Trump Organization and his decision to skip the third Republican primary debate.
Despite multiple courtroom appearances and a calendar full of court dates alongside his 2024 presidential campaign, Republican voters appeared to be unphased by Trump's legal challenges.
The former president remained strong backing from Republican voters and was the odds-on favorite to win his party's nomination for the 2024 presidential election, barring any future setbacks or surges from rival opponents.
The latest Morning Consult poll of GOP voters showed Trump with a comfortable 50-point lead over his Republican opponents.
Here's a look at who Republican voters would vote for today, with the percentage from last week in parentheses.
- Donald Trump: 64% (66%)
- Ron DeSantis: 14% (13%)
- Nikki Haley: 10% (9%)
- Vivek Ramaswamy: 6% (7%)
- Chris Christie: 3% (3%)
- Asa Hutchinson: 1% (1%)
- Doug Burgum: 1% (1%)
In the latest poll, Trump holds a 50-point lead, down from his record-setting 53-point lead in the previous poll. Over the past 10 weeks, Trump has had a lead of at least 43 points each week over his Republican competitors. In recent weeks, Trump's lead has been closer to 50 points or higher.
Related Link: 2024 Presidential Election Betting Odds: Trump The Favorite, Newsom Gains, Haley Soars Higher, Ramaswamy Drops
Why It's Important: The 64% for Trump is down from a new high of 66% set in the previous poll. The 66% figure was the highest Trump had in a full week's poll since polling began in December.
The former president drops two points and sees his two biggest competitors each gain one percentage point in the latest poll.
DeSantis ranked second in the latest poll with 14% of support from Republican voters. The Florida governor has fluctuated between 13% and 15% in recent weeks. DeSantis could get a lift in the next poll depending on how he performs in an upcoming television debate.
Unlike the Republican primary debates that feature several Republican candidates, DeSantis finds himself debating Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom. While many expected Newsom to run for president, he has not declared his intention. The debate is being called “DeSantis vs. Newsom: The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate.”
The two governors will debate on Thursday, Nov. 30 on Fox News, a unit of Fox Corporation FOXFOXA.
Nikki Haley ranked third for a seventh straight week as she continues to distance herself from former third-place holder Vivek Ramaswamy. Haley gained another point last week to hit 10% of support from Republican voters. This ties a high for Haley since polling began.
In the poll, voters who selected Trump first were most likely to select DeSantis (40%), Ramaswamy (22%), or Haley (10%) as their second option in the race.
Those selecting a non-Trump candidate were most likely to select Trump as their second option at 29%, followed by DeSantis (20%), Haley (16%) and Ramaswamy (12%).
Trump ranked first in the poll with a favorable rating of 75% and had an unfavorable rating of 22%. These marks both went in the wrong direction with a favorable rating of 78% and an unfavorable rating of 20% in the previous poll.
In the poll, 39% said they had heard something positive about Trump in the last week, with 29% saying they had heard something negative about Trump in the previous week. The 32% that said they had heard nothing good or bad about Trump was the highest amount of non-news since February for the former president.
The 2024 election will be held on Nov. 5.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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