Poll: Trump Sees 27-Point Swing His Way Against DeSantis Since December

DeSantis trump
James Devaney/GC Images, James Gilbert/Getty Images
Nick Gilbertson

Former President Donald Trump has enjoyed a 27-point swing his way away from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) since December, according to a hypothetical head-to-head poll.

The Wall Street Journal commissioned poll – jointly conducted by Fabrizio, Lee, & Associates and Impact Research – finds that 51 percent of Republican primary voters support Trump in a hypothetical head-to-head race with DeSantis. The governor is backed by 38 percent of respondents, marking a seismic change since late last year.

In a December Fabrizio, Lee, & Associates poll, their positions were inverted, with DeSantis at 52 percent and Trump at 38 percent. The current poll mirrors a number of other national polls that show Trump surging over recent months.

Trump leads the pack in a larger primary field, as 48 percent of respondents say they would vote for him. Another 24 percent back DeSantis, making him Trump’s clear-cut top potential competitor, though he has not yet announced a White House bid.

No other candidate secured double-digit support. Five percent of voters back Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC), three percent back Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and two percent would vote for businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Govs. Kristi Noem (R-SD), Chris Sununu (R-NH), and Glen Youngkin each hold one percent of support. Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), who announced his candidacy last week, failed to put a point on the board.

It is going to be a competitive primary,” pollster Tony Fabrizio told the Wall Street Journal. “The two favorites right now would be Trump and DeSantis.”

Additionally, the poll found that 82 percent of Republican primary voters would “consider” voting for Trump. Similarly, 83 percent would “consider” voting for DeSantis.

The poll also gauged potential general election match-ups between the top leading Republcian candidates and President Joe Biden, finding that DeSantis fares better than Trump.

In a rematch of the 2020 election, Biden takes 48 percent of support to Trump’s 45 percent. Seven percent are undecided in that scenario.

A DeSantis versus Biden contest shows inverted results, with 48 percent behind the governor, 45 percent voting for Biden, and seven percent undecided.

The poll sampled 1,740 registered voters, including 600 Republican primary voters, nationally from April 11-17. The margin of error (MOE) among Republican primary questions is plus or minus four percentage points, while the MOE for the full sample is plus or minus 2.5 percent, the Wall Street Journal noted.

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