Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Tops Trumpless 2024 GOP Primary Poll

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is leading the pack in a hypothetical 2024 Republican Primary devoid of former President Donald Trump, an Echelon Insights survey found.

The poll, taken June 18-22, 2021, among 1,001 registered voters, asked Republicans and Republican leaners, “If Donald Trump does NOT seek the Republican nomination for President in 2024 and the presidential primaries were being held today, for whom would you vote?”

The Sunshine State governor led the pack with 21 percent support, followed by former Vice President Mike Pence, who garnered 14 percent.

No other candidate listed saw double-digit support. Donald Trump Jr. garnered 7 percent support, followed by former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (6 percent), Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (6 percent), Utah Sen. Mitt Romney (4 percent), Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (3 percent), and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (2 percent).

The remaining candidates — which included Tucker Carlson, Gov. Greg Abbott (TX), Gov. Kristi Noem (SD), Sen. Rick Scott (FL), Rep. Liz Cheney (WY), former Gov. Chris Christie (NJ), former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Gov. Larry Hogan (MD), Sen. Tom Cotton (AR), Sen. Josh Hawley (MO), and Sen. Ben Sasse (NE) — all garnered one percent support or less.

Over a quarter of respondents, 26 percent, remain unsure:

2024 National Republican Primary Poll:

DeSantis 21%
Pence 14%
Trump Jr. 7%
Haley 6%
Cruz 6%
Romney 4%
Rubio 3%
T. Scott 2%
Carlson 1%
Abbott 1%
Noem 1%
R. Scott 1%
Cheney 1%
Christie 1%
Pompeo 0%
Hogan 0%
Cotton 0%
Sasse 0%
Hawley 0%@EchelonInsights ~ 386 RV ~ 6/18-6/22

— PollTracker (@PollTrackerUSA) July 6, 2021

While neither Trump nor DeSantis has definitively said they plan to run in 2024, Trump said he would “certainly” consider DeSantis as a running mate. The former president also recently dispelled rumors of infighting between himself and the governor, as the governor did not attend his July 3 rally in Sarasota, Florida.

“Well, we mutually agreed,” Trump said of DeSantis skipping the rally to tend to the Surfside condo collapse, praising the governor for working “very hard.”

“He’s doing a very good job, and he should be there. I told him. I said, ‘You should stay there. This is not that important for you.’ He of all people should be there,” Trump added.

Trump and DeSantis have continued to dominate hypothetical 2024 GOP primary polls. Both topped this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) straw poll, garnering 55 percent of the vote and 21 percent, respectively.