Poll: Trump Holds 23-Point Lead over Crowded GOP Field in Montana

Former President Donald Trump doubles the support of his nearest competitor, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), in the Republican primary field in Montana, according to a Public Policy Polling survey.

The poll, conducted on Monday and Tuesday, shows Trump leads the pack for the Republican nomination with 46 percent of support. DeSantis follows with 23 percent, while no other candidate eclipses double digits.

2024 Montana Republican Primary:

Trump 46% (+23)
DeSantis 23%
Haley 5%
Pence 5%
Christie 4%
Ramaswamy 3%
Scott 2%
.
Head-2-Head:
Trump 49% (+12)
DeSantis 37%

.@ppppolls, 510 LV, 6/19-20https://t.co/RalTRqhBR4

— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) June 21, 2023

Former Vice President Mike Pence and former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) each receive five percent of backing, followed by former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) at four percent. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) round out the poll with three percent and two percent, respectively.

In a hypothetical race where the field is cleared out for DeSantis to take on Trump, he rises to 37 percent but still trails the 45th president, who teeters on a majority with 49 percent, by double digits. Another 14 percent are undecided in that scenario.

Trump and DeSantis fare best regarding net-favorability ratings at +45 percent and +44 percent, respectively. Scott holds the third-best net rating at +28, followed by Haley at +14 and Ramaswamy at +6. Pence and Christie hold the only negative net ratings and are deep underwater with Montana Republicans. Pence pings at -20 while Christie — a staunch Trump critic — grapples with an abysmal -41 point net rating.

Notably, Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), conservative radio host Larry Elder, and former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) were not offered as candidates in the survey, though they have declared their candidacies.

The poll also gauged President Joe Biden’s approval rating among Montana Republicans, finding it pings at just nine percent. Conversely, 89 percent disapprove of his performance, while just two percent have not made up their minds.

Public Policy Polling sampled 510 likely Republican primary voters from June 19-20. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.