OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump is looking good following a survey released last week showing him with the highest favorability in a matchup against several as of now hypothetical 2024 GOP challengers. A Morning Consult survey “confirmed what has been seen in several other surveys as of late,” Breitbart News reported, citing the survey’s results.
Specifically, Trump has taken a clear lead against several hypothetical candidates, as the survey showed, with him garnering 49 percent compared to the next-closest potential challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had a 31 percent favorability rating:
2024 National Republican Primary:
Trump 49%
DeSantis 31%
Pence 7%
Haley 3%
Cheney 2%
Cruz 2%
Abbott 1%
Noem 1%
Pompeo 1%
T. Scott 1%
Youngkin 0%.@MorningConsult, 3,549 RV, 2/3-5https://t.co/8E7nq4VZzW
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) February 7, 2023
“Trump began his presidential campaign with the bulk of the Republican electorate behind him, but with several other potential contenders considering their own push for the nomination, his grip is being put to the test ahead of the 2024 nominating contests. Morning Consult surveys are tracking the Republican primary electorate’s views of Trump and his potential rivals, as well as how he fares with the wider electorate — a key metric for a party looking to turn the tide on recent electoral disappointments,” Morning Consult noted in an analysis accompanying the survey.
Trump’s UN ambassador and former South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley, is reportedly set to announce her own candidacy on Feb. 15. Along those lines, some “key takeaways” from the latest Morning Consult poll were:
Trump Maintains Steady Lead: About a year out from the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, Trump remains the front-runner in a hypothetical crowded field, backed by 49% of potential Republican primary voters. He leads his closest potential aspirant, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by 18 percentage points.
Haley Generates Buzz Among Voters: The GOP’s prospective 2024 electorate has heard more about former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as she prepares to launch a 2024 bid next week. Roughly 2 in 5 potential GOP primary voters have recently heard something about her, marking the highest level of awareness since November. However, only 3% said they would vote for her if the primary or caucus were held in their state today.
Haley has 45 percent viewing her favorably and 15 percent viewing her unfavorably, according to the survey.
Several names have come up regarding who Trump is considering to be his running mate, including Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and former Democratic congresswoman-turned-Independent Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.
“Trump hasn’t started campaigning for the nomination and few people have been hired to run his operation in the early primary states, but allies have still been considering names for VP, The Daily Beast reported. After running for the Democratic nomination in 2020, Ms. Gabbard left the party last year. Gabbard has grabbed the attention of Mr. Trump during her appearances on Fox News, specifically when she stepped in to host Tucker Carlson’s show,” the Independent reported.
A Republican strategist was not fond of choosing Gabbard, saying it would be similar to President Joe Biden removing Vice President Kamala Harris from the ticket and choosing a former Republican like Adam Kinzinger or Liz Cheney.
“Sure, they stand up for you on a couple of issues, but they hate you on everything else. Cool, but let’s not give away the farm here,” the strategist said.
A few other names have also been pushed in the media as being on Trump’s 2024 “shortlist,” including Greene and New York GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik, currently the House’s third-highest-ranking Republican.
In a recent Foreign Policy story titled, “Elise Stefanik Is Most Likely to Succeed,” the authors write, “A young woman once hailed as the future of the Republican Party embraces Trumpism to stay that way.”
Meanwhile, in late May, CNN published a report speculating that Stefanik is high on the “running mate list”:
While talk about a 2024 vice-presidential pick is of course premature, conversations about adding Stefanik to a future Trump ticket have gained steam in recent weeks at Mar-a-Lago and in other Republican circles, sources said. Current and former advisers and others in Trump’s orbit have privately argued that the New York Republican, who replaced Rep. Liz Cheney as the no. 3 House Republican last year, is a fierce and loyal attack dog, and Trump would benefit from tapping a woman for vice president should he run again.
