New polls out of Iowa and New Hampshire show Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis running strongly against former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination.
Surveys conducted over the last week by Public Opinion Strategies found Mr. DeSantis leading Mr. Trump in Iowa (45% to 37%) and tied in New Hampshire, at 39% each. More broadly, Mr. DeSantis was viewed more favorably by voters in the two states compared to Mr. Trump.
When the field of candidates was expanded to include former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley and technology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, the picture became more muddled. With a divided field, Mr. DeSantis tied with Mr. Trump in Iowa, but trailed him by 12 percentage points in New Hampshire.
The results are a potential boon to Mr. DeSantis, as Iowa and New Hampshire hold the first two contests of the 2024 Republican primaries. The surveys also come as national polls show Mr. Trump expanding his lead over Mr. DeSantis among GOP voters.
A recent Harvard-Harris poll found Mr. Trump leading the Florida governor 50% to 24% among Republicans nationwide. A similar poll taken in January had Mr. Trump leading Mr. DeSantis by a more narrow 48% to 28%.
• Haris Alic can be reached at halic@washingtontimes.com.
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