Former President Donald Trump gained ten points of support among Republicans since his arrest on Tuesday, expanding his lead over Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), according to a hypothetical Republican primary poll.
The Ispos/Reuters poll conducted after Trump’s arrest in Manhattan for a case many conservatives have dubbed “politically motivated” finds that 58 percent of registered Republicans want him as their nominee. DeSantis, who has not announced a candidacy for the race, secures second place with 21 percent of support. No other candidate eclipsed five percent of support:
Another Ispos/Reuters poll taken ahead of the arrest but after the indictment had Trump at 48 percent of support and DeSantis at 19 percent. In other words, Trump has seen a net gain of eight points to his lead over the Florida governor in just a few days’ time.
The race was much closer prior to the indictment. A third poll conducted from March 14-20 had Trump 14 points up on DeSantis, at 44 percent and 30 percent, respectively.
The current poll sampled 368 Republicans and has a margin of error of plus or minus 6.3 percentage points.
Trump’s standing in the current poll mirrors many recent polls showing Trump with a majority of support in the Republican Party, including two national polls released on Monday. One of those was the Trafalgar Group poll, which found the former president at 56.2 percent support, placing him about 34 points ahead of DeSantis at 22.5 percent in a crowded field.
As Breitbart News reported at the time:
Trump’s lead has grown some 22 percentage points compared to a third Trafalgar poll conducted from March 13-19, before the expectation of an indictment was announced. Trump showed an 11.6 percent advantage over DeSantis, as they registered at 43.8 percent and 32.2 percent, respectively. Trafalgar sampled 1,079 respondents in that poll.
Another poll published by Morning Consult on Monday found the 45th president had reached 55 percent of support. DeSantis sat 29 points back at 26 percent. He saw no movement compared to last week’s Morning Consult poll, while Trump gained three points.