Poll: Donald Trump Remains Most Favorable Candidate in Republican Primary Field Post-Indictment

MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE - APRIL 27: Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign r
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Hannah Knudsen

Former President Donald Trump remains the most favorable candidate in the Republican primary field post-indictment, the latest Morning Consult survey found.

The survey showed the share of potential Republican primary voters who have either favorable or unfavorable views of the GOP presidential candidates and found Trump topping the field in terms of favorability.

According to the survey, 76 percent have a favorable view of the former president, compared to 22 percent who do not. That reflects a one-point increase in his favorability rating from last week and a one-point decrease from the 23 percent who viewed him unfavorably.

DeSantis stands as the second most favorable candidate with 67 percent reporting a favorable view of the governor. That reflects a slight decrease from the 68 percent he saw last week. However, his unfavorable rating has been on the rise, and he now ties Trump with 22 percent viewing him unfavorably after 19 percent said the same last week. Overall, his unfavorable rating has increased by nine points since March.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis greets audience members during a fundraising picnic for U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, Saturday, May 13, 2023, in Sioux Center, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis greets audience members during a fundraising picnic for U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, Saturday, May 13, 2023, in Sioux Center, Iowa (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall).

Pence also saw a positive favorable rating, with 54 percent viewing him in a positive light. However, he has one of the biggest unfavorably ratings, second only to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, as 36 percent view the former vice present in a negative light.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has 43 percent viewing her favorably, compared to 15 percent who do not. However, 23 percent said they have never heard of her — an issue also seen by anti-woke businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (39 percent), former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (43 percent), South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (31 percent), and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (63 percent), as they appear to suffer from a lack of name recognition.

US Senator Tim Scott, R-SC, speaks during the Vision 2024 National Conservative Forum at the Charleston Area Convention Center in Charleston, South Carolina, on March 18, 2023 (Photo by Logan Cyrus / AFP) (Photo by LOGAN CYRUS/AFP via Getty Images).

Despite that, Scott and Ramaswamy both have higher favorable ratings than unfavorable.

The same cannot be said of Christie, Hutchinson, or Burgum. One-quarter has a favorable view of Christie, compared to 41 percent who view him unfavorably.

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Fifteen percent view Hutchinson favorably, compared to 17 percent who have a negative view, and eight percent view Burgum favorably, compared to 12 percent who have a negative view.

The survey was taken post-Trump indictment and after the latest batch of candidates joined the race. The favorability portion was taken June 9-11, 2023, among 782 potential GOP primary voters and has a +/- 4 percent margin of error.

Notably, this same survey found Trump increasing his lead over the entire field post-indictment, as he is leading by 40 points:

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Senator Marsha Blackburn

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