Donald Trump widens lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2024 GOP presidential race, poll finds

Former President Donald Trump remains the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential primary, widening his lead over his top potential challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a recent Quinnipiac University national poll finds.

While DeSantis has yet to announce a presidential bid, he has emerged as the favorite to challenge Trump to be the GOP’s 2024 presidential nominee.

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When given a choice of 15 Republicans who have either declared their bid for the presidency or are possible candidates, 46% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters said they would vote for Trump while 32% said they would vote for DeSantis, according to the poll.

The survey also finds that Trump’s lead over DeSantis more than doubled from last month. In February, Trump only led DeSantis by six percentage points, 42% - 36%, according to Quinnipiac University.

In a two-man matchup, the former president continues to lead DeSantis, but only by 11 percentage points. Fifty-one percent of voters said they would vote for Trump while 40% preferred DeSantis.

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The survey of 1,795 adults, taken March 9-13, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.

Despite Trump's surge in support among GOP voters, President Joe Biden narrowly leads him in a race between the two potential nominees. Forty-nine percent of registered voters said they would vote for Biden while 45% said they would vote for Trump.

Biden’s lead dwindles to, essentially, a dead heat in a match-up between him and DeSantis as 47% of voters said they would vote for Biden compared to 46% who said DeSantis.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump widens lead over DeSantis in 2024 GOP presidential race: poll