Jacob Ogles
Former President Donald Trump holds a commanding lead over Republican challengers for the 2024 GOP nomination. He bests Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his next closest competitor, by 46 percentage points.
But days out from a Republican presidential campaign where Trump appears unlikely to attend, DeSantis still has twice the support of anyone else expected on the stage.
A CBS News-YouGov poll shows 62% of likely GOP Primary voters want Trump to be the nominee. That means even with the survey’s 5.7% margin of error, more than half of Republican voters remain firmly in the ex-Commander-in-Chief’s corner.
About 16% of respondents want DeSantis, a drop from prior polls from the same outfit but still quite a bit ahead of others desirous of the nomination.
Everyone else showing up in the polls appears in the single digits. About 7% of those surveyed prefer businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, 5% want former Vice President Mike Pence, and 3% favor South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott. Both former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie boast 2% support. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson made the poll but with just 1% backing.
But more than lagging Trump, the poll shows another challenge for candidates hoping to siphon support away from the front-runner. About 91% of voters want other candidates to make the case for their own records as they run instead of criticizing Trump. Just 9% support making the case against returning Trump to the White House.
Half of voters say too much of the conversation about the race to date has been about Trump.
And few seem receptive to the most frequent lines of attack against Trump anyway. About 73% of Republicans surveyed in the poll see the four recent indictments of Trump this year as a reason to support the former President now. About 77% believe those indictments to be politically motivated.
Only 8% of voters said they were concerned Trump tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election, a chief accusation in the indictment.
Republican voters also put a lot of trust in Trump. Among those who consider honesty “very important” in determining their vote, Trump leads 61% to DeSantis’ 17%.
Of note, respondents in the poll also have more faith that Trump will win the election than they appear to for any candidate. About 61% believe Trump, as the Republican nominee, would win the presidency next year. Only 35% believe the same about DeSantis; 20% feel the same about Scott; 18% feel that way about Ramaswamy. About 14% believe Haley or Pence can win the election.
13 comments
M. Mouse
August 20, 2023 at 3:21 pm
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride! That’s our little governor!
Squeak!
My Take
August 20, 2023 at 3:53 pm
Third-rate, second place.
That at least is well performing.
My Take
August 20, 2023 at 4:07 pm
Today’s MAGA-GOP would vote for Goebbels.
Maybe not Himmler, but shameess fascist liar Goebbels. And hands down Mussolini.
My Take
August 20, 2023 at 4:27 pm
When Trump falls, who will the Listless’s new Pied Piper?
My Take
August 20, 2023 at 4:29 pm
We patriots of course want Trump to stick it out anď drag the GOP to dire straits.
Michael K
August 20, 2023 at 5:37 pm
Trump will burn the country down with him, as his selfishness, grift, and greed have no bounds. Little D – the Walmart version of Trump – is not the answer: why settle for the cheap knockdown, discount version, when the real thing is still available?
ed bernard
August 20, 2023 at 5:53 pm
64 percent of voters want trump to face jail time for his action in the last election …..so even if he wins the primary overall voters dont want him back
My Take
August 20, 2023 at 7:53 pm
You just know that GOP would-be backstabbers are searching for something to keep him out of the general election.
Lyn Lyions
August 20, 2023 at 7:52 pm
Trump ran as President to bring this country back to its.roots, improved employment and showed the importance of secure borders with legal migration process and opened.our eyes as to the child trafficking crisis with most of.it being led by the elites! Americans are tired.of being railroaded by career politicians stuffing their own pockets. And DeSantis has now turned into a power hungry career politician focusing only on slandering others in his way, broke his reassurances to the people of Florida and c hanged law so he could be eligible to run. Does that kind of self advancement and broken promises seem.like what Americans need in the White House? Aww heck no!!
My Take
August 20, 2023 at 7:58 pm
Trump wants to be almost a king.
He cannot be trusted with power.
Ocean Joe
August 21, 2023 at 5:40 am
The truth, if you can handle it, is that Trump ran as a stunt to force CBS to raise his salary and was shocked when he actually got elected, as the least prepared, most clueless of the job, president in US history. If you recall, ‘Mother’ cried. Melania was in shock.
We almost went over this same cliff with Ross Perot, the craving for a nonpolitician, an outsider. Perot was equally clueless, but he was right about job loss and destruction of our middle class.
Trump’s stock in trade has always been spouting nonsense and gibberish, stirring up resentments and grifting.
Have I been too kind?
JD
August 21, 2023 at 6:55 am
That’s the most apt assessment of Trump and Perot I have read.
Grace of God
August 21, 2023 at 7:36 am
Trump who has literally been convicted of assaulting a woman , has 91 felony charges “that he didn’t commit “ is the number 1 . His supporters are worse than deplorable. Any women or man that supports his sex assault conviction alone has no respect for others
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