Donald Trump Takes Double-Digit Lead in Virginia Republican Primary

FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks during the New Hampshire Republican State Comm
AP Photo/Reba Saldanha, File
Hannah Knudsen

Former President Donald Trump has taken the lead in the hypothetical 2024 Republican primary race in Virginia, a Roanoke College Poll released this week found.

While the survey found Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin with a positive 52 percent favorable rating, most, 54 percent, do not believe he should seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024. Further, Youngkin fails to see double-digit support in the hypothetical 2024 field, garnering just six percent support in his home state. 

Trump takes the lead in the crowded field, leading his closest potential challenger, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), by 11 percent, or 39 percent to the Florida governor’s 28 percent. 

No other potential candidate comes close. Youngkin placed a distant third, garnering just six percent in his state, followed by Nikki Haley — who has formally tossed her hat in the presidential ring — with five percent support.

Former Vice President Mike Pence and Donald Trump Jr. saw three percent support, followed by Sen. Ted Cruz with two percent and Sen. Marco Rubio with one percent. 

Another five percent said “someone else,” and four percent remain unsure:

However, the results shift a bit when respondents, a plurality of whom chose Trump, identified their “second choice” candidate. In that scenario, 25 percent choose Youngkin, followed by DeSantis (21 percent), and former President Trump (18 percent). Only six percent chose Haley as their second-choice nominee, despite her status as an official GOP presidential candidate. 

The survey coincides with other state-level Republican primary polls, which also show Trump leading the pack. 

A Neighborhood Research and Media survey released last month, for instance, showed Trump leading the field in South Carolina by double digits. Similarly, a Remington Research Group survey released last month also showed Trump leading his potential challengers in a crowded Republican field in Kansas, again, by double digits. 

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