Survey: Trump’s Favorability Ticks Up, Remains Favorite in the GOP Field

Former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally, Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Ma
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Hannah Knudsen

Former President Donald Trump remains the Republican favorite in the GOP primary field, this week’s Morning Consult survey found.

The survey found Trump with the highest favorability in the race, as 80 percent have a favorable view of the former president. That reflects a two-point uptick from the 78 percent who said the same last week.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the 2023 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference in East Pennsboro Township, Pa., on Saturday, April 1, 2023. (Mark Pynes/The Patriot-News via AP)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the 2023 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, on April 1, 2023. (Mark Pynes/The Patriot-News via AP)

Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis boasts the second highest favorability in the GOP field with 72 percent viewing him favorably — the same percentage he saw two weeks ago before slipping to 66 percent last week.

Fifty-nine percent have a favorable view of former Vice President Mike Pence — a two-point decrease from the 61 percent who said the same last week. The percentage of those who have an unfavorable view of Pence has jumped six points the last week, going from 25 percent to 31 percent.

The Associated Press

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Federalist Society Executive Branch Review conference, April 25, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Fifty-one percent view former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley favorably, and 17 percent said they have never heard of her — down two points from the 19 percent who said the same last week.  That still reflects a major improvement in recognizability, as 29 percent said they had never heard of her three weeks ago.

The Associated Press

Then-South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, left, announces Rep. Tim Scott, right, as Sen. Jim DeMint’s replacement in the U.S. Senate during a news conference at the South Carolina Statehouse, Dec. 17, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

Anti-woke businessman Vivek Ramaswamy’s favorable rating ticked up three points, jumping from 44 percent to 47 percent. Twenty-eight percent said they have never heard of him, down from 30 percent who said the same last week.

Vivek Ramaswamy, chairman and co-founder of Strive Asset Management LLC, speaks during the Palmetto Family Council's Vision 24 national conservative policy forum in North Charleston, South Carolina, US, on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The forum is the prelude event to the Social Conservative Conference that will be hosted by the Heritage Foundation, Focus on the Family and Family Policy Alliance. Photographer: Sam Wolfe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Vivek Ramaswamy, chairman and co-founder of Strive Asset Management LLC, speaks during the Palmetto Family Council’s Vision 24 national conservative policy forum in North Charleston, South Carolina, on March 18, 2023. (Sam Wolfe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Forty-one percent have a favorable view of Sen. Tim Scott, who formally jumped in the presidential race on Monday. That reflects a four-point increase from last week’s favorable figures. Additionally, last week, 32 percent said they have never heard of the senator. Now, that figure stands at 29 percent.

The survey was taken May 18-20, among 810 potential Republican primary voters. It has a +/- 4 percent margin of error.

Notably, that same survey also showed Trump leading the GOP field by 38 points:

The survey comes as Republicans await additional entries into the presidential race, including an expected announcement from DeSantis on Wednesday and possibly former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie “in the coming days.”

RELATED: Casey DeSantis Releases Ron DeSantis Video on Eve of Rumored 2024 Launch:

Casey DeSantis via Storyful

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