As the 2024 GOP primary gets underway, electability will among the most important factors voters will consider. In one recent poll, potential Republican primary voters picked former President Donald Trump as the most likely candidate to beat President Joe Biden in 2024.
A recent Monmouth poll indicated that 63% of Republicans believed that Trump was the strongest candidate to defeat Biden in the general election. Among this cohort, 45% said that he was “definitely” the strongest candidate.
The poll also found Trump with a significant lead over his Republican challengers, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). The former president currently rates with 43% of GOP voters while DeSantis picks up 19% support.
2024 National Republican Primary:
Trump 43% (+24)
DeSantis 19%
Pence 3%
T. Scott 3%
Cruz 1%
Haley 1%
Paul 1%
Ramaswamy 1%
.
4-Way-Race:
Trump 56% (+31)
DeSantis 25%
Pence 7%
Haley 7%
.
Head-2-Head:
Trump 56% (+21)
DeSantis 35%.@MonmouthPoll, 655 RV, 5/18-24… pic.twitter.com/YsPbBj2sgJ
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) May 30, 2023
Both Trump and DeSantis have very high favorability ratings among Republicans, with Trump notching 77% and DeSantis at 73%.
Trump leads Biden in the RealClearPolitics polling average by a margin of 45.4% to 44.0%. Similarly, DeSantis also leads Biden in a one-on-one matchup, but by a smaller margin.
The Florida governor leads the president by a margin of 44.1% to 43.5%. In two recent polls, the two candidates were tied.
Most of the recent polls were conducted prior to the entry of DeSantis into the race last week, including the aforementioned Monmouth poll. It is possible that there will be a further shift due to the candidate’s official entry, especially on the topic of electability.
Both Trump and DeSantis are betting heavily on Iowa, which hosts the first caucuses of the 2024 cycle early next year.
DeSantis planned a heavy schedule this week, with events that brought him to a number of events across Iowa, including at a large church and racetrack. The Florida Republican’s plans are part of a wider tour of three states and 12 cities.
Furthermore, Trump plans to arrive in the Hawkeye State for another round of campaigning on Thursday.
Both the Trump and DeSantis camps have accelerated attacks on the other, especially over the role of COVID response. Trump recently posted on Truth Social that DeSantis did poorer in his state’s response than former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).
DeSantis argued that Trump had handed the nation over to Dr. Anthony Fauci during the coronavirus pandemic.
