Trump grows lead over DeSantis but would lose to Biden, poll finds
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Former President Donald Trump is pulling ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a new poll, but in hypothetical matchups with President Joe Biden, DeSantis performs better than Trump.
The Wall Street Journal poll, released Friday, showed Trump with 48% support among likely Republican primary voters, followed by DeSantis in a distant second with 24% support. If the two Republicans were to run in a one-on-one race, Trump would win 51% to 38%, the poll found.
DeSantis hasn’t announced whether or not he’ll run for president next year. Previous polls found him more competitive with Trump, and the Journal’s December 2022 poll had him ahead.
The poll finds support for DeSantis weakening as Trump rallies supporters following his criminal indictment, but DeSantis is better positioned to take on Biden. Trump would lose to Biden 48% to 45%, the poll found, but DeSantis would beat Biden 48% to 45%.
Biden could formally announce his reelection as soon as this week.
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During a speech last week in front of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative group, DeSantis played up electability.
“We reject the culture of losing that has infected the Republican Party in recent years,” he said. “In Florida we know that there is no substitute for victory.”
Trump criticized DeSantis’ handling of issues including crime and COVID-19 in a podcast interview last week, saying, “his polls are terrible.”
“The thing he did well on was public relations because the numbers weren’t what they pretended to be,” Trump said.
Majorities of likely Republican primary voters say they believe Trump is a stronger leader and shares their values more than DeSantis, but DeSantis led Trump when respondents were asked who had the best chance of beating Biden and having the right temperament, according to the poll.
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Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and former U.S. ambassador, came in third with 5% support, followed by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., at 3%. The poll found 13% of likely Republican primary voters are undecided, and potential candidates like former Vice President Mike Pence and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson had less than 1% support.
An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found 47% of Democrats want Biden to run again and 78% approve of the job he’s doing.
