Trump Hits Record Lead In Republican 2024 Election Poll: How DeSantis Exit Could Help Former President

Zinger Key Points
  • A weekly election poll shows how Republican voters would vote today for the GOP presidential candidates.
  • Trump posts a record lead in the latest poll and it could grow with DeSantis dropping out.

Former President Donald Trump has a big lead in the race to secure the GOP nomination ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Here's a look at the latest.

What Happened: Early into the 2024 primary season, Trump has won the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary.

Trump won the state of Iowa with 51% of the vote, earning 20 delegates in the Republican primary race. Ron DeSantis ranked second with 21.2% of the vote, earning nine delegates. Nikki Haley ranked third with 19.1% of the vote and eight delegates.

DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy, who finished fourth in the Iowa caucus, both dropped out of the race for the presidential nomination.

The New Hampshire primary saw Trump get 54.5% of the vote and earn 12 delegates and Haley get 43.3% of the vote and secure nine delegates, according to CNN with 94% of the results in.

The latest Morning Consult poll of GOP voters was conducted between the results of the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary. The poll was conducted Jan. 19 through Jan. 21 and still included DeSantis as a candidate.

Here's a look at who Republican voters selected in the Morning Consult poll, with the percentage from last week in parentheses.

Donald Trump: 75% (69%)

Ron DeSantis: 12% (11%)

Nikki Haley: 12% (12%)

Related Link: Trump Vice President Pick: Crypto Bettors Backing Haley, Ramaswamy, DeSantis — And This Potential Frontrunner

Why It's Important: Trump's lead jumps to 63 points, a new record since polling began in December 2022. Trump's 75% of the vote in the poll also marks a new full-week high since polling began.

Trump has been dominant in the poll of national Republican voters in recent weeks and the results in Iowa and New Hampshire shouldn't come as a huge surprise. Trump posted a lead of 50 points or more in multiple consecutive weeks in the national poll of Republican voters.

DeSantis gained a percentage point before dropping out and was tied for second with Haley at 12% of the vote in the last poll.

Haley saw her support remain at 12% and she moved into a tie with DeSantis after previously topping him by one percentage point.  

The bad news for Haley could be the poll's data pointing to Trump benefitting from DeSantis dropping out.

Of the voters who selected DeSantis as their top candidate, 57% selected Trump as their next pick. Thirty-five percent of voters who picked DeSantis listed Haley as their second choice and the rest picked someone else or were unsure.

This could suggest that Trump could add around 6% of DeSantis's 12% support with Haley adding 4%.

The new poll also found Trump had a favorable rating of 81% and an unfavorable rating of 18%. Both of these figures were an improvement from the prior week's totals of 77% and 21%, respectively.

DeSantis's favorable and unfavorable ratings were 63% and 23% respectively.

Haley had a favorable rating of 47% and an unfavorable rating of 32%.

After her second-place finish in New Hampshire, Haley has vowed to stay in the Republican presidential race. February will see several more primaries, including Haley's home state of South Carolina on Feb. 24, which could be a key state in her campaign to win the GOP nomination.

Read Next: Donald Trump’s Mix-Up Of Nikki Haley, Nancy Pelosi Sees ‘Dementia Don’ Trend On Social Media: 2024 Election Could Be Battle ‘Between Demented And Dementia’

Photo: Shutterstock

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