Poll: Ron DeSantis just 5 points behind Donald Trump in Maryland

A new poll from Maryland shows a tight 2024 GOP Primary race between Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump, at least in a hypothetical two-way battle.

A Gonzalez Poll conducted between May 30 and June 6 shows the Florida Governor just 5 points behind the former President, 42% to 37%, with 21% offering no answer to the question.

The race shows a clear gender gap in a limited sample of just 221 Republicans. Women prefer Trump, 51% to 30%. Men pick DeSantis, 43% to 35%.

DeSantis is narrowly ahead with self-described moderate voters, 41% to 40%. He’s holding his own with conservatives also, with Trump leading 44% to 37%.

DeSantis also leads with a very limited sample of 18- to 34-year-old voters and with those over the age of 65, while Trump is up with voters between 35 and 64 years of age.

The Governor leads on the Eastern Shore and the Washington suburbs, which is perhaps ironic given his stump speech refrain that five of the seven richest counties in the country are suburbs of the nation’s capital. Trump leads in the Baltimore suburbs and western Maryland.

In one happy bit of news for DeSantis fans, he polls slightly better against Joe Biden than Trump does. Biden beats Trump by 17 points, and DeSantis by 14, with independent voters offering the difference. DeSantis carries independents, 48% to 41%, against Biden. But Biden carries them against Trump, 44% to 41%.

Maryland polling has been sparse so far. A February survey from Co/efficient tested DeSantis and Trump against former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. In a three-way battle, the former President came out ahead. Trump took 33% support, 6 points ahead of DeSantis’ 27%, with Hogan in third place with 18% support. Trump has strengthened nationally since then, and Hogan isn’t running for President.