Staff Reports
A new poll conducted by Morning Consult shows that former President Donald Trump leads his potential Republican challengers for the 2024 presidential election by a wide margin. The results of the survey also suggest that his popularity is being supported by the questions about his chief rivals.
The survey, which was conducted from January 14 to 16, had 3,763 Republican primary voters. 48% of them said they would support Trump if he were the Republican candidate for president in 2024. Mike Pence and Ron DeSantis, who have not yet announced their intentions for the race, received 8% and 31% support, respectively.
The results of the survey suggest that Trump's favorable rating among Republican voters has recovered from the losses the party suffered in the November 2022 midterm elections. Over 70% of the respondents said they have a favorable view of the president, as opposed to 62% for Pence and 69% for DeSantis.
The survey comes as Trump is getting ready to ramp up his third White House campaign. His aides revealed that the president will be holding an event in Columbia, South Carolina, on January 28. He will be joined by state officials such as Governor Henry McMaster and Senator Lindsey Graham.
The campaign billed the event as an intimate gathering that will not be similar to the type of rally that Trump usually holds. Instead, it will be an opportunity to show the support that he has received from the state's elected officials.
Both Joe Biden and DeSantis, who are yet to officially announce their intentions for the presidential race in 2024, have encountered various setbacks.
In addition to the classified documents scandal, Trump is also facing various other issues. Some have raised concerns that the investigations conducted by Robert Hur, the newly appointed special counsel, could lead to primary challenges for the 2024 presidential race.
The investigation could also affect Biden's potential decision to run for president in 2024. He and Ron Klain, the White House's chief of staff, had previously indicated that the announcement would take place in early 2023.
During a Wall Street Journal event on December 6, Klain said that Trump would make his decision regarding the presidential race after the holiday.
Trump has used the investigation to launch attacks on Biden while maintaining that his own investigation, which is being conducted by Jack Smith, is a waste of time.
In a series of posts on his social media platforms, Trump maintained that he did nothing wrong. He also criticized the way the authorities handled the investigation of Biden. He questioned why his lawyers and the other individuals associated with the former vice president were not permitted to search his home when the search warrant was issued.
Meanwhile, DeSantis is facing various controversies that could test his support ahead of his likely primary challenge.
According to a report by the Washington Post, some of the companies that DeSantis has targeted for his "woke" policies have sponsored events during his inauguration. Some of these include Walgreens and CVS. The prominent lobbyists associated with companies such as Disney and Blackrock also co-chaired his inauguration.
The Post noted that it was important to look into how the ties between DeSantis and these companies remained despite his efforts to distance himself from them.
The other news outlet, Politico, noted that some of the high-dollar donors who backed DeSantis have expressed their concerns about his lack of interpersonal skills.
Sources close to DeSantis have indicated that he could announce his intention to seek the presidency in 2024 during the coming legislative session of the Florida House.
Despite the growing support for DeSantis' likely primary challenge, Trump's supporters believe that he will still lose the support of the Florida governor.
According to a former Trump campaign official, the president would likely lose to DeSantis in the primary. However, with a crowded field, Trump's chances of winning would improve due to the support he would receive from his base.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Washington Examiner.
