Poll: Donald Trump leads Ron DeSantis by 41 points in Massachusetts GOP Primary

Another Massachusetts survey finds Donald Trump dominating Ron DeSantis among Republicans.

A fresh UMass-Amherst and WCVB poll conducted by YouGov finds the former President with 59% support, well ahead of the Florida Governor’s 18%. Former Vice President Mike Pence, an afterthought in most polling of the race so far, has 10% support in the survey conducted from March 28 to April 5.

In a hypothetical Trump versus DeSantis head-to-head, the former President commands 70% support with DeSantis taking 30%.

Trump’s position is an improvement over the June 2022 administration of the poll, in which the former President held a 51% to 24% lead over DeSantis in a crowded field.

There are two pieces of good news for the Florida Governor in this poll.

In the unlikely event that DeSantis and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu were in a two-way race, DeSantis is the choice of 81% of respondents. Meanwhile, despite trailing by 41 points in the whole-field poll to Trump, the Florida Governor is still the second choice of 40% of respondents, a stronger performance than anyone else in the field.

This is the second straight recent Massachusetts poll in which Trump holds a commanding lead. A recent Opinion Diagnostics survey shows Trump leading DeSantis in a crowded field, 45% to 21%.

While neither Trump nor DeSantis have made much of a play in the Bay State, which goes Democratic in Presidential Election years, the former President did reference a former Massachusetts Governor when nicknaming DeSantis “Ron Dukakis.”

Trump’s historical dig refers to footage from the Fox News show The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton, where the host savaged the presentation of DeSantis’ evolving position on Ukraine.

“Or as he should perhaps now be known: Ron Dukakis. Just like the hapless Democratic Presidential nominee in 1988,” Hilton contended, “DeSantis managed to look weak and incompetent all in one go.”

Hilton showed side-by-side pictures of Dukakis and DeSantis in military helmets, with the Florida Governor’s shot filched from his “Top Gov” ad which paid tribute to the movie “Top Gun: Maverick,” and showed the Governor in flight gear laying down “rules of engagement” for his ongoing battles with the corporate media.