Survey: Trump Dominating in California’s Republican Primary

President Donald Trump speaks as he visits a new section of the border wall with Mexico in
Jacquelyn Martin, File/AP
Hannah Knudsen

Former President Donald Trump is dominating in California’s Republican primary race, the latest Emerson College poll found.

Trump has a commanding lead in the Golden State’s primary race, with a majority, 53 percent, choosing the former president as their candidate of choice. He is 34 points ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who comes in second place with 19 percent support.

Former Vice President Mike Pence comes in nine points behind with ten percent support, followed by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (six percent), Sen. Tim Scott (four percent), anti-woke businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (two percent), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (two percent), and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (one percent).

Spencer Kimball, Executive Director of Emerson College Polling, noted that Trump’s base “continues to be voters under 50 and those without a college degree, while DeSantis performs strongest among voters over 50 and those with a college degree, but still trails Trump.”

“Trump leads DeSantis 60 percent to 14 percent among those under 50 compared to 49% to 21% among those over 50. Among voters without a college degree, Trump leads DeSantis 62 percent to 15 percent, compared to those with a college degree where he leads 46 percent to 25 percent,” he added.

The survey was taken June 4-7, 2023, among 1,056 registered California voters. It has a +/- 2.9 percentage margin of error.

This appears to be the second major poll showing the former president with a commanding lead in the Golden State. A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies survey released in late May showed Trump leading by 18 points.

As Breitbart News reported:

The most recent survey finds Trump taking a double-digit lead, besting his closest potential challenger — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — by 18 points in the Golden State. Trump garners 44 percent support, while just over a quarter, 26 percent, support DeSantis.

Other declared candidates are considered in the survey as well, including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, but no one in the poll — including those two — receives over four percent support besides Trump and DeSantis.

This survey represents a significant shift in favor of Trump since February. Three months ago, DeSantis held an eight-point lead among California Republicans, with 37 supporting the Florida governor and 29 percent supporting Trump.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to lead in national surveys as well, as the latest Morning Consult survey found Trump boasting a 40 point lead.

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