Most Republicans and Republican-leaning independents support former President Donald Trump in the primary, roughly one week ahead of the first GOP presidential debate, the latest survey from the Economist/YouGov found.
Most, 53 percent, of Republicans and Republican-leaners support Trump in the crowded field of GOP candidates. Florida Gov Ron DeSantis continues to struggle to gain any ground, coming in a distant second, 38 points behind Trump with 15 percent support.
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on August 6, 2023, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
No other candidate listed came close, as anti-woke businessman Vivek Ramaswamy came in 11 points behind DeSantis with four percent support. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Vice President Mike Pence followed with three percent support each, and remaining candidates saw two percent support or less.
Notably, Trump’s lead among GOP-leaners who are registered voters ticks up to 55 percent, while DeSantis comes in with 16 percent support.
The survey also asked respondents, “If the Republican presidential primary in your state were held today and [favored candidate] was not on the ballot, who would you vote for?”
Given that most support Trump, DeSantis emerges as the top second choice candidate with 23 percent, followed by 17 percent who said Ramaswamy and 11 percent who said Trump. But according to the survey’s summary, DeSantis’s 23 percent is actually down 12 points from the 35 percent he saw one month ago.
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The emailed summary of the survey also observed that “many Republicans who prefer Trump list no second choice: One-third (32%) either say they are not sure about a second choice (19%) or say they would not vote (14%).”
Further, Trump supporters appear to be souring on DeSantis. In July, 49 percent listed him as their second choice, compared to 32 percent who do so now.
The survey was taken August 12-15, among 1,500 U.S. adult citizens and comes as Trump faces a fourth indictment at the hands of a grand jury in Georgia.
While Trump initially announced this week that he will hold a “major” news conference on Monday, predicting “complete EXONERATION” following a presentation of what the former president described as a “Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable REPORT on the Presidential Election Fraud which took place in Georgia,” he has since canceled it.
“Rather than releasing the Report on the Rigged & Stolen Georgia 2020 Presidential Election on Monday, my lawyers would prefer putting this, I believe, Irrefutable & Overwhelming evidence of Election Fraud & Irregularities in formal Legal Filings as we fight to dismiss this disgraceful Indictment,” Trump wrote.