Trump lead over DeSantis grows
Former President Donald Trump continues to dominate the Republican party, according to the latest polling out of Quinnipiac University.
“DeSantis might be the buzz in the GOP conversation, but for now Trump is seeing no erosion and, in fact, enjoys a bump in his lead in the Republican primary,” Tim Malloy, a polling analyst at Quinnipiac University, said with the newest poll’s release.
According to those polled, the 45th president’s lead among Republicans or Republican leaning voters against the governor of Florida has more than doubled over the last month, from 42-36 to 4632.
DeSantis is not running for president — officially — to do so would require him to leave office as the Sunshine State’s 46th governor; Trump announced his run in November.
Despite this, and the fact the race does officially include former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the contest for the conservative ticket, if you ask Republican voters, seems to center around the two Florida residents.
“Trump’s gaining ground for a couple of reasons,” Kenneth Cosgrove, a professor of political science and legal studies at Suffolk University, told the Herald.
First and foremost Trump is a performer, Cosgrove said, and advice to be empathetic that he ignored in 2020 seems to have sunk in now that he’s on the trail again. He’s staying on script and making some effort, in his own way, to be transparent about legal challenges and court proceedings. It seems to be working. According to the poll, even when other potential candidates aren’t included — Trump’s former VP, Mike Pence, or his Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, for example — the twice impeached former commander in chief beats out the twice-elected governor of Florida by a wide margin, 51 — 40.
“To me, Trump’s masterstroke was both going to East Palestine, Ohio and letting average people who’d been the victims of a horrible event come close to him. His visit to McDonald’s and buying folks lunch was sheer brilliance. It was a highly authentic moment,” Cosgrove explained.
Neither man, according to those surveyed, would beat President Joe Biden in a 2024 general election, though DeSantis comes within the margin of error.
“In a hypothetical general election matchup for president, President Joe Biden has a slight lead over Trump 49 — 45 percent among all registered voters,” pollsters wrote. “When Biden is matched up against DeSantis, it is a virtual dead heat. In that matchup, Biden receives 47 percent and DeSantis receives 46 percent among all registered voters.”