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Former President Donald Trump has a 26-point lead in the hypothetical 2024 Republican presidential primary race, March’s Harvard-Harris Poll found.
The survey asked GOP respondents, “If the Republican presidential primary for the 2024 election was held today, who would you vote for?”
Trump garners 50 percent of the vote — up four points from the previous survey. No other potential challenger comes close, as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second place with 24 percent support.
Former Vice President Mike Pence came in third place with seven percent support, followed by former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley (five percent), Sen. Ted Cruz (2 percent), Sen. Tim Scott (2 percent), former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (one percent), Sen. Marco Rubio (one percent), and anti-woke businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (zero percent).
Another two percent said “someone else,” and six percent remain unsure:
2024 National Republican Primary
• Trump — 50%
• DeSantis — 24%
• Pence — 7%
• Haley — 5%
• T. Scott — 2%
• Pompeo — 1%
• Rubio — 1%2-Way:
• Trump — 56%
• DeSantis — 44%Harris/Harvard (B) | Mar 22-23 | RVs pic.twitter.com/mSn25s6nlP
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) March 24, 2023
When asked who they would support in a primary absent of Trump, DeSantis takes the sizable lead with 45 percent support. Pence comes in 32 points behind with 13 percent support, and Haley comes in third with five percent support. In that scenario, 14 percent remain unsure of whom they would support.
The survey also asked respondents who they would support in a scenario that just had Trump and DeSantis. In a head-to-head matchup, Trump leads by 12 points, or 56 percent to the Florida governor’s 44 percent support. Trump also demolishes Haley in a head-to-head, leading her by 40 percent, or 70 percent to his challenger’s 30 percent.
Further, the poll found most Republican and independent respondents, 57 percent, predicting that Trump will win the primary. Meanwhile, 41 percent of those who predicted he will lose believe DeSantis — who has yet to announce a presidential bid — will win the GOP nomination.
Notably, this survey shows both Trump and DeSantis defeating Biden in a head-to-head matchup, by four points and three points, respectively.
The survey was taken March 22-23, 2023, among 2,905 registered voters and comes as Trump continues to grow his support in recent polls, particularly following the news of a looming indictment at the hands of woke leftist prosecutor Alvin Bragg. Forthcoming surveys, however, should soon reveal how the public feels about DeSantis — who has been waning in recent polls — and his response to the rumored arrest, as he troubled many conservatives after dismissing it as a non-issue.
“We are not involved in this [and] won’t be involved in this,” he said on Monday, angering some conservatives. “I have no interest in getting involved in some type of manufactured circus by some Soros DA, ok?”
