More national GOP polling shows Ron DeSantis as leading Donald Trump alternative

Donald Trump gives Ron DeSantis the cold shoulder.

Political watchers are getting more and more used to the notion that former President Donald Trump would have trouble commanding majority support in a 2024 Republican Primary campaign, with Ron DeSantis being a major reason why.

Polling conducted nationally between Aug. 18 and Aug. 22 reveals that Trump would get just 46% support in a Primary against DeSantis and a field of other Republicans. The Florida Governor’s 25% support was good for a strong second place, well ahead of third-place Mike Pence, the former Trump Vice President who drew 13% backing.

Most voters had their minds made up: just 8% were unsure of who they backed. Fourth-place Liz Cheney, who is teasing a Never Trump style presidential campaign in 2024, secured just 5%.

In a field without the former President, DeSantis dominated, taking 41% of the vote, putting him 30 points over Donald Trump Jr. and 31 points over Pence, with other potential candidates even farther back.

Echelon polled 459 Republican Primary voters nationwide, and DeSantis improved here considerably over other polling from this outfit. Back in November, DeSantis was still first in a Trump-free field, but with just 26% support. Indications here are that DeSantis has strengthened his position.

DeSantis is making inroads with Republican voters, a significant subset of whom appear to be wobblier on Trump’s third campaign as time moves on from his presidency.

Another poll conducted by Yahoo and YouGov between Aug. 18 and Aug. 22 shows Trump getting just 49% in a 2024 head-to-head GOP Primary duel with DeSantis. DeSantis received 31% in the survey, with an additional 21% not sure whether they preferred the former President or the Florida Governor.

Other polling shows more evidence that Republicans, and perhaps other voters, are looking more seriously at DeSantis as a potential Trump replacement.

Another survey from YouGov shows that if a hypothetical national General Election were held now, DeSantis would take 36% of support from “adult citizens” polled, two points behind Joe Biden.

DeSantis was ahead of Biden with Republicans, 85% to 3%, and with Independents, 30% to 24%. Registered voters preferred Biden to DeSantis, 33% to 30%. Biden took 84% of Democrats, meanwhile, with 3% preferring DeSantis.

Biden was ahead of Trump by 3 points, 40% to 37%, with adult citizens, with Trump underperforming compared to DeSantis with various demographics.

Registered voters preferred Biden over Trump by 5 points, 45% to 40%. Trump was up with independent voters, 33% to 28%, and with Republican voters, 83% to 3%. Trump did take 5% of Democrats, 2% more than DeSantis, but Biden’s 86% maintained the 81-point spread.