The 2024 National Republican Primary race is heating up, and former President Donald Trump continues to enjoy massive support among GOP voters. Even with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announcing his campaign, Trump maintains an overwhelming lead in the polls.
According to recent surveys, Trump holds a commanding 69% support among Republican voters, with a staggering 56-point lead over his closest competitor. DeSantis, while considered a rising star within the party, currently sits at just 13% support. It appears highly unlikely that DeSantis will be able to surpass the popularity of the 45th president.
Donald Trump has consolidated the support of slightly above half of his party at this early stage of the race for the Republican nomination, a new CNN poll finds https://t.co/VsUO1qvtoz
— CNN (@CNN) May 25, 2023
A Fox News poll conducted between May 19 and 22 further reinforces Trump’s dominance in the race. The survey reveals Trump with a 33-point lead over DeSantis, capturing 53% of the Republican vote. DeSantis trails at 20%, followed by Mike Pence at 5%, Nikki Haley and Siva Ramaswamy at 4% each, Liz Cheney at 2%, and Tim Scott at 2%.
This significant margin between Trump and DeSantis is noteworthy, especially considering that voters have been anticipating DeSantis’s entrance into the race for quite some time. Numerous polls have factored in his potential candidacy for months, making it even more telling that he struggles to compete against the formidable presence of Trump.
There are several factors contributing to DeSantis’s challenges in gaining traction. Many voters express reservations about his establishment ties, particularly after Jeb Bush, a prominent figure within the Republican Party, endorsed him months ago. Additionally, DeSantis’s decision to launch his campaign on Twitter has drawn criticism from conservative and libertarian-leaning voters who have grown wary of Elon Musk, following his appointment of Hollywood executive Linda Yaccarino, a member of the World Economic Forum, to oversee the social media platform.
Yaccarino’s establishment connections and involvement in woke advertising circles have raised concerns among voters. As Michael Rectenwald highlighted in an article for the Mises Institute, Yaccarino chaired the Ad Council from 2021 to 2022, an organization that heavily promoted masking, social distancing, and vaccinations during the COVID crisis. These ties to establishment figures and initiatives have added to the skepticism surrounding DeSantis’s campaign.
Interestingly, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador recently weighed in on the race, calling on Hispanic voters in Florida to vote against DeSantis due to his immigration policies. López Obrador urged Hispanics to reject candidates who persecute migrants and fail to respect their rights. He also took credit for predicting DeSantis’s presidential run, highlighting the governor’s focus on immigration as a clear indication of his aspirations to become the Republican Party’s candidate.
As the 2024 GOP nomination race unfolds, it is evident that Donald Trump maintains a substantial advantage over his competitors. Despite Ron DeSantis’s campaign announcement and efforts to rally support, he faces an uphill battle in surpassing the popularity and appeal of the former president within the Republican Party.