Former President Donald Trump maintains a 40-point lead in the New Hampshire GOP primary, according to a poll released Tuesday that shows Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ceding second place to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
The Emerson College Polling Survey said nearly half, or 49%, of Republican primary voters plan to support Mr. Trump for the 2024 nomination compared to 9% for Mr. Christie and 8% for Mr. DeSantis.
The poll underscores Mr. Trump’s grip on the primary despite facing a string of criminal charges in multiple courts. A grand jury in Georgia handed up a fourth indictment against him after the survey was conducted.
Mr. Christie has focused on criticizing Mr. Trump and sees New Hampshire as a key state for his bid, which may explain his surge. Mr. DeSantis, meanwhile, is shaking up his campaign team as part of a broad reboot, given stagnant poll numbers.
“DeSantis has been the alternative to Trump in Emerson polling this presidential cycle. This is the first time we have seen DeSantis drop out of second place in our polling, and fall back into the pack of candidates,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.
Mr. DeSantis is struggling with middle-aged adults in New Hampshire, with only 4% of those ages 30 to 49 supporting him compared to 56% for Mr. Trump, the survey said.
Overall, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is fourth at 6%, while North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley both receive 4% support.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is at 3%, businessman Perry Johnson at 2% and former Vice President Mike Pence and former Rep. Will Hurd receive 1%.
Mr. Trump trails Mr. Biden in a hypothetical matchup, 48% to 41%, though the president’s lead shrinks to 5 points when Green Party candidate Cornel West is included on the ballot.
The survey found 43% of New Hampshire voters approve of the job Mr. Biden is doing, while 46% disapprove. The approval number is a 5-point jump from five months ago.
“President Biden’s support has strengthened in New Hampshire since March,” Mr. Kimball said. “The president’s approval increase is fueled by a more unified approval among his party – 82% of Democrats approve of the job the President is doing, a 14-point increase from March.”
The survey was conducted Aug. 9 to Aug. 11 among 837 registered voters and has a margin of error of 3.4 points.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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