Recent polls indicate that Donald Trump is experiencing a rise in popularity among Republicans.
In fact, one of the surveys suggests that the former US president is gaining support over Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, who is seen as one of his top rivals in the race for the White House in 2024.
DeSantis Falling Behind Trump’s Popularity
Donald Trump was the clear winner of the CPAC straw poll, receiving an overwhelming 62% of support from respondents who indicated he would be their preferred candidate in the 2024 Republican presidential primary election.
In stark contrast, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis received just 20% of the vote.
Conducted with McLaughlin & Associates, the results of the CPAC straw poll demonstrate Trump’s strong support base and provide a significant boost to his campaign in the upcoming presidential election.
President Trump wins CPAC straw poll in a LANDSLIDEhttps://t.co/7OhcWm07kv
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) March 4, 2023
While Donald Trump’s level of support has remained consistent since January, the poll shows that Ron DeSantis’ support has decreased by four points.
A separate poll conducted by Yahoo News/YouGov showed that Trump’s popularity is on the rise. In a hypothetical contest against Ron DeSantis for the Republican nomination, Trump is leading by eight points.
This represents a 12-point swing in Trump’s favor since the beginning of last month.
Ron DeSantis has not yet officially announced his candidacy for the presidency, but it is widely anticipated he will do so. In recent weeks, he has been actively campaigning in states that will host the Republican Party’s initial presidential primaries next year.
A third poll by Echelon Insights reveals that among Republican respondents, Donald Trump has an approval rating of 46%, while Ron DeSantis is backed by 31%.
Trump Is the Front-Runner: Just over a year out from the Republican Party’s first presidential nominating contest, Trump is backed by 49% of potential Republican primary voters followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (31%) and former Vice President Mike Pence (8%).
— Mark Campbell (@FallVIIRiseVIII) December 14, 2022
A Lot of Noise in the Polls
It is widely anticipated that Ron DeSantis will announce his candidacy for the presidency, just like Trump did. However, it remains uncertain whether Trump’s popularity among the Republican base will translate into a winning formula in the general election.
Senior party members have not been vocal about endorsing either candidate, leaving many questions about the Republican Party’s direction in the upcoming election.
The Republican Party experienced significant losses during the 2018 midterms, losing control of the House of Representatives. In 2020, they also lost the Senate and the White House.
The party’s performance in the November 2022 midterms was also weaker than expected.
According to Clifford Young, the President of US Public Affairs at Ipsos, “Trump’s party suffered significant losses during the midterms, leaving him looking like a loser.”
Young also noted Trump’s style of politics did not fare well in the midterms, but this has become less of a concern as time has passed. He emphasized a lot can change between now and next year’s elections and the polls at this stage should be viewed with caution.
Young stated, “There is a lot of noise in the polls right now, as we are still quite far from the primaries and most people are not paying close attention to the race yet.”
