OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump’s rise to the top of the 2024 Republican presidential field continued late last week, according to a new survey.
Trump has jumped to a dominant lead among a rising number of Republicans in the key state of Nevada, which was formally a blue stronghold but has been trending purple in recent election cycles after the election of a GOP governor in 2022.
The American Greatness survey found that Trump was leading the rest of the GOP field by 32 points, taking in 53 percent of the overall vote. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was second overall but a distant second place with 21 percent of the vote. That’s notable, given that the survey was taken after he formally announced his bid.
“No other potential candidate comes remotely close. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley received just three percent support, followed by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and anti-woke businessman Vivek Ramaswamy with two percent support each,” Breitbart News reported, citing the survey.
Former Vice President Mike Pence garnered just one percent support; he is expected to formally announce his candidacy this week.
Citing the survey, Breitbart added:
Trump leads DeSantis among Nevada Republicans in more than one way as well, as 64 percent said they believe Trump is the “best to improve our economy,” compared to 11 percent who said the same of DeSantis.
Further, 49 percent said Trump is the “strongest to oppose far-left progressives” compared to 22 percent who said the same of DeSantis. Trump also has an edge among those who believe he better “cares about needs and concerns of people like me.” Only 17 percent said the same of DeSantis.
In addition, Trump wins among state Republicans who believe he, not DeSantis, is in a better position to defeat President Joe Biden, 39 percent to 29 percent.
🚨 IOWA 2024: Emerson College (A-)
PRES:
(R) Trump: 49% (+11)
(D) Biden: 38%(R) DeSantis: 45% (+7)
(D) Biden: 38%GOP PRES:
Trump — 62% (+42)
DeSantis — 20%
Pence — 5%
Haley — 5%
T. Scott — 3%
Ramaswamy — 2%
Sununu — 1%
Hutchinson — 1%https://t.co/1rTiaaimdn pic.twitter.com/gW4hk83hJn— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) May 25, 2023
Trump has led the GOP field in most polling for the two years he’s been out of office. And in more recent surveys, he has pulled ahead of Biden.
According to a Harvard-Harris poll last month, there has been a notable surge in support for Trump, suggesting a potential path to victory next year if he secures the GOP nomination. The poll results indicate that Trump continues to maintain a formidable presence, despite various legal challenges while also enjoying a substantial lead over his Democratic counterparts.
The poll found that Trump garnered 47 percent approval from respondents, surpassing Biden’s 40 percent, giving Trump a clear 7-point lead.
The survey also assessed hypothetical contests involving Trump and other prominent Democrats. The results, for instance, showed Trump with 50 percent support compared to Vice President Kamala Harris, who trailed behind at 39 percent.
🇺🇲 2024 Presidential Election Poll
(R) Trump: 47% (+7)
(D) Biden: 40%(R) Trump: 50% (+11)
(D) Harris: 39%
.
(D) Biden: 42% (=)
(R) DeSantis: 42%(D) Harris: 42% (=)
(R) DeSantis: 42%Harvard/Harris | 05/17-18 | 2000 RV https://t.co/SFFYM6RDOh pic.twitter.com/JWaEDQLiL3
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) May 19, 2023
As for DeSantis, the results showed him in a dead heat with Biden at 42 percent apiece, which was the same outcome as a potential DeSantis-Harris matchup.
Meanwhile, according to the survey, less than 33 percent of respondents believe that the country is moving in the right direction, which is a clear indication of the lack of confidence in Biden’s policies. Additionally, an alarming 66 percent of the participants expressed concern about the direction of the economy, an indication they believe it is heading in the wrong direction and a clear reflection of a perception that the current administration is unable to manage the country’s financial well-being.
At the same time, half of respondents reported that their personal finances have worsened during the Biden presidency. And according to the poll, a mere 21 percent of respondents expressed confidence in avoiding a potential recession.
