Republican support for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential run saw a sizeable dropoff in a recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll, with Republican voters moving away from Trump and toward Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The new poll of registered voters, published on Tuesday, showed 65 percent of Republican and conservative-leaning independents want DeSantis to run in 2024. The poll, which was conducted among 1,000 registered voters, including 374 Republicans and conservative-leaning independents. In a poll of just the Republican and conservative independents, pollsters found that 56 percent of the respondents would prefer DeSantis while 33 percent would prefer Trump in a head-to-head matchup for the 2024 Republican party nominee.
Trump’s favorability among Republicans has eroded over the course of the last three USA TODAY/Suffolk University Polls. In a July poll of registered voters, 60 percent of Republican voters said they want Trump to run again in 2024. In an October poll, 56 percent of Republican voters still wanted Trump to run in 2024. In Tuesday’s poll results, only 46 percent of conservatives wanted Trump to run in 2024.
Tuesday’s poll results found that 31 percent of Republican and conservative independents preferred to see Trump run and continue the policies he pursued in office while 61 percent preferred Republicans continue to run on Trump’s policies but with a different candidate.
In their July survey, USA TODAY/Suffolk University pollsters held a seven-way matchup between Trump, DeSantis, Rep. Liz Cheney, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. In that July seven-way Republican poll, Trump held a plurality lead with 43 percent of the votes, while DeSantis was in second place with 34 percent.
In the latest head to head matchup for the 2024 Republican nominee position between just Trump and DeSantis, 33 percent of Republican and conservative independents preferred Trump for the role while 56 percent preferred DeSantis.
While the pollsters found only 46 percent of conservative respondents wanted Trump to run again in 2024, they also found only 34 percent of liberal respondents want Democrat President Joe Biden to run again in 2024.
In a question for all 1,000 registered voters from all political backgrounds, the USA TODAY/Suffolk University pollsters found that in a matchup between Biden and Trump, 47 percent preferred Biden, 40 percent preferred Trump, and the rest were undecided, would choose someone else, said they wouldn’t vote or refused to answer the question.
In a matchup between Biden and DeSantis, 43 percent said they preferred Biden, 47 percent said they preferred DeSantis and the rest were undecided, would choose someone else, said they wouldn’t vote or refused to answer the question.
Other recent polls have indicated DeSantis is favored ahead of Trump in Republican internal contests. One recent polling memo by the conservative Club For Growth also found Republicans prefer DeSantis over Trump in Iowa, New Hampshire, Georgia and Florida. The Club For Growth memo did not show polling data for any other states.
Trump has declared his 2024 presidential run, while DeSantis has given little direct indication that he will run for president.
