Former President Donald Trump’s massive lead in the Republican presidential primary is not fading as the race heads into the fall, according to a national poll that shows his support jumped 9 percentage points from last month.
Emerson College Polling said Wednesday that Mr. Trump enjoys support from 59% of voters in September, up from 50% last month, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ support remained flat at 12%.
Mr. Trump’s support recovered from a dip following the GOP primary debate in August, in which his competitors had the Milwaukee stage to themselves while the ex-president campaigned elsewhere.
“The Trump voter remains resilient, and despite a dip in August’s post-debate poll, Trump has now expanded his lead and has improved his position from before the first debate,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.
Among other candidates, Vivek Ramaswamy’s support fell 2 points, to 7%, while former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence received 5%.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott each received 3%.
More than 6 in 10 voters say they will definitely support their chosen candidate, while 36% say they could change their minds.
Trump voters are particularly loyal, with 75% of those backing him now saying they plan to stick with them. In a positive trend for Mr. DeSantis, 42% of those supporting him say they will stick with him, compared to 25% who said the same in August.
Among Democratic primary voters, 62% support President Biden, 14% support Robert Kennedy Jr. and 4% support Marianne Williamson. Twenty-one percent are undecided.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden are split, 45%-45%, in a hypothetical rematch, and Mr. Trump holds a 1-point edge when Green Party candidate Cornel West is added.
The majority of voters (55%) said Mr. Biden’s age might make it too difficult for him to perform the work of the presidency, while 29% said it gives him the experience and wisdom to do a good job. Sixteen percent said his age does not matter.
The national survey was conducted Sept. 17-18 among 1,125 voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.