Poll: Donald Trump opens up 35-point lead over Ron DeSantis with Republicans nationally

trump desantis
In a 2-way matchup against DeSantis, Trump takes more than 60% support.

New polling of Republicans nationally shows Donald Trump with his biggest lead of the year against Ron DeSantis.

In the Harvard-Harris Poll conducted April 18-19, the former President commands 55% support among Republicans, with the Florida Governor taking just 20% in a crowded field. Former Vice President Mike Pence‘s 7% is good for third place.

Month over month, Trump is up 5 points over his March performance, and DeSantis is down 4 points.

This continues a trend of voters coalescing around Trump in this survey. In January, the former President led DeSantis 48% to 28%. The lead was 23 points in February and 26 points in March.

But the most recent survey accounts for a Trump bump surrounding his indictment and arrest in New York for an alleged “catch-and-kill” scheme to squash unflattering stories back in 2016.

In a hypothetical two-way race, Trump leads DeSantis 61% to 39%, another reflection of the Anybody But Trump allure fading that the Florida Governor had. Time will tell if that holds.

The polling finds the controversial Heartbeat Protection Act, which bans abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy with limited exceptions for rape, incest, and human trafficking victims, doesn’t matter to voters. Nearly half (48%) say it has no effect on their willingness to support DeSantis, while 32% say it makes them more likely to back the Governor, and 21% say it diminishes their willingness to support him.

The Governor’s war against The Walt Disney Co. appears to be a net positive, with 56% of all respondents saying it makes them more likely to back DeSantis, and 44% taking the opposite position. Among Republicans, support climbs to 73% for the anti-Disney stance.

This survey was conducted online within the United States among 1,845 registered voters by The Harris Poll and HarrisX.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


3 comments

  • Dont Say FLA

    April 21, 2023 at 8:58 am

    Maga Lardo has pulled Rhonda’s Panties completely down and is severely spanking him. And the race hasn’t even started yet. Who will win, The Biggest Loser? It’s looking good for the Maga Lardo becoming the Biggest Loser. Again.

  • Billy the Bamboozler McPill Mill Squatter

    April 21, 2023 at 9:18 am

    They like Trump because he’s the ultimate class warrior for the rich… and he’s managed to rope in so many stupid people who rally to vote against their own economic interests without asking one single question. It’s a billionaires dream. Big business and the rich have all the power they ever dreamed of and they’ve achieved it all though the Trump clown show.

  • Tom

    April 21, 2023 at 10:00 am

    That’s definitely one of the issues with desantis – he makes trump look normal. So now we get to choose between Methuselah and a moron. It would be nice to have better choices for a change but I’m not optimistic.

Comments are closed.


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