Former President Donald Trump has a dominant 44-point lead in the Republican primary in a new poll Monday, days ahead of the first GOP debate he plans not to attend, a decision that doesn’t sit well with his supporters or the broader Republican electorate.
In the Morning Consult poll published Monday, the majority of the Republican electorate (58%) would support Trump if the primary or caucus were held today, while 14% would support Ron DeSantis, one of the lowest levels of support the Florida governor has received in this survey.
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Trump confirmed on Sunday that he will be skipping the first Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday and indicated he might skip others in the future.
“The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had,” Trump wrote on his social media site. “I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
However, this recent poll shows his plan to skip the debate may not go over well with his supporters or Republican voters in general. Most Republican voters believe Trump should be participating in the debates. Just 17% of Republican primary voters and 7% of Trump supporters think the former president should not participate in any primary debates.
The poll also found entrepreneur-turned-presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has 10% support, which matches a previous high, but his net favorability rating has surpassed DeSantis’s for the first time, raising the stakes for his debate performance on Wednesday. Former Vice President Mike Pence and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are all tied at 3%. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has 15 support, while Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez each have 0% support.
When asked about a hypothetical matchup between Biden and Trump, 43% of registered voters surveyed said they would support Biden, while 41% of those surveyed cast their support for Trump. Eleven percent said they wanted someone else, and 5% said they didn't know.
When voters were asked about a hypothetical matchup between Biden and DeSantis, 43% of registered voters said they would support Biden, while 37% of those surveyed said they would support DeSantis. Twelve percent responded they want someone else, and 7% said they didn’t know.
When potential Republican primary voters were asked who their second choice would be after Trump, 33% said they would support DeSantis. Meanwhile, 23% said their second choice would be Ramaswamy, and 13% said Pence would be their backup choice, according to the poll.
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Among potential GOP primary voters whose first choice was DeSantis, 38% said they would support Trump, while 19% said their second choice would be Ramaswamy and 15% chose Pence.
The poll released Monday also found 76% of potential Republican primary voters have a favorable opinion of Trump, while 23% of those surveyed have an unfavorable opinion of the former president. It found 62% have a favorable opinion of DeSantis, while 23% have an unfavorable opinion of the Florida governor.