Former President Donald Trump more than doubled Gov. Ron DeSantis in a hypothetical Republican primary matchup, a Rasmussen Reports poll found Thursday.
The survey asked respondents, “If the contest for the Republican nomination were between Nikki Haley, former president Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, which candidate would you support?”
Fifty-two percent supported Trump, while only 24 percent chose DeSantis, less than double. Just 15 percent said they supported former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, widely viewed as the most establishment among the three potential contenders.
GOP voter candidate preferences:@realDonaldTrump – 52%@GovRonDeSantis – 24%@NikkiHaley – 15%
Not sure – 9%
Other – @Mike_Pence @mikepompeo @Liz_Cheney @tedcruz @VivekGRamaswamy ? – 3% https://t.co/rl7rhvjbNx— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) February 23, 2023
The poll surveyed 900 likely voters from February 16 to 20 with a 3 percentage point margin of error.
The Rasmussen poll comes six days after Harvard Cap/Harris poll released Friday found Trump led DeSantis by 23 percentage points, or by double the governor’s support.
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign event in the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College on February 17, 2023, in Manchester, New Hampshire. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Trump earned 46 percent support of the poll’s respondents. DeSantis received 23 percent, exactly half of Trump’s total support.
The poll showed Haley with only six percent support, 40 points less than Trump, raising questions if Haley has a path to the nomination.
Only three contenders have announced a bid for the Republican nomination: Trump, Haley, and author Vivek Ramaswamy. DeSantis has not yet announced he will run, but establishment media indicate he has an interest in launching his campaign in the coming months.
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