Former President Donald Trump trounces his GOP rivals by whopping margins across all demographic groups ahead of the 2024 race, according to a poll released Monday that underscores the tall task for his primary challengers.
The first New York Times/Siena College poll of this cycle shows Mr. Trump getting 54% of GOP support when primary voters are asked who they would vote for today.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is the nearest competitor, at 17%, while former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina receive 3% each; and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie come in at 2%.
Each of the rest of the candidates struggles to attract 1%.
Mr. Trump’s wide lead is notable because it remains strong despite two criminal indictments, with one or two more possibly coming from federal prosecutors and a district attorney in Georgia over his actions following the 2020 election.
He has a wide lead across the Midwest, Northeast, South and West and maintains a wide gulf over Mr. DeSantis across core GOP voting groups.
Voters 65 or older favor Mr. Trump over Mr. DeSantis, 60% to 9%, and Hispanic voters favor Mr. Trump, 68% to Mr. DeSantis’s 13%, even though Florida has large Cuban and Puerto Rican populations.
Voters were more likely to see Mr. Trump as a strong leader, able to get things done or able to beat Mr. Biden, though Mr. Trump was behind Mr. DeSantis, 37% to 45%, when voters were asked who was “moral.”
Mr. DeSantis is trying to gain ground by positioning himself as the natural alternative for millions of voters who will not vote for Mr. Trump and who can get key agenda items done without distractions.
“I think with me, you know, I’m the candidate that’s more likely to beat Biden,” he recently told New Hampshire voters. “I’m more reliable on policy. I think you’ve seen my record in Florida, and I’m much more likely to actually get all this stuff done.”
“We ended the presidency with Fauci running the government,” Mr. DeSantis said, referring to Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the former top infectious diseases official at the National Institutes of Health. “That’s not draining the swamp.”
Non-Trump candidates will be looking for a breakout moment on Aug. 23 at the first primary debate in Milwaukee. It is unclear, however, if Mr. Trump will join the field on the stage, pointing to his front-runner status and belief that Fox News moderators will be biased against him.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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