Former President Donald Trump holds a 21-point lead over his closest Republican rival in a hypothetical Georgia GOP primary, a University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs survey revealed Friday.
The poll among Georgians appears to be a sign that Trump’s popularity has remained strong in a state where Republicans have faced a number of recent setbacks. The strong showing comes after radical left District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump was 34 felonies, an indictment that many legal experts have cast as the weaponization of the justice system against a political opponent.
Former President Donald Trump (Left) and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (Alex Brandon, Seth Wenig/AP Photo)
Fifty-one percent of Georgians supported Trump. Thirty percent backed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). And only four percent supported former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Former Vice President Mike Pence received just two percent. Seven percent of respondents were undecided.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump (James Devaney/GC Images) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Concerning the indictment, 90 percent say Bragg’s charges should not disqualify Trump from seeking office again. Only seven percent said the charges should prevent his reelection.
Overall, the poll found that Trump is the favorite among nearly every demographic of Republican voters, including those who are older, poorer, have less education, and are most conservative.
In a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, DeSantis fared slightly better. He trailed Trump 51% to 41%, with about 8% of respondents undecided. The Florida governor fared best among Republicans with college or graduate degrees.
Still, the poll pointed to misgivings toward Trump that could dog his comeback bid. While 85% of Republican voters say they’ll back Trump if he’s the nominee, 6% say they’ll cast their ballot for a Democrat, 3% will side with a third-party candidate and 2% will skip the vote altogether.
…
DeSantis was competitive only among smaller slices of voters, including younger Republicans and those with annual incomes that topped $100,000.
The poll surveyed 983 likely Republican primary voters from April 2-7 and has a 3.1-point margin of error.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.