Former President Trump leads Florida Governor DeSantis by 26 percentage points in the latest poll of the 2024 Republican nominee.
A survey conducted by Harvard CAPS/Harris from March 22 to 23 showed that Mr. Trump increased his position as the leading candidate for the 2024 Republican primary election, with 50% support while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis only got 24%.
In another survey, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley – who has announced her presidential candidacy – has only 30% approval among Republicans while Mr Trump’s support rate is up to 70%.
In January, the US data science company Morning Consult also released the results of a survey of potential candidates for the primary round to find the Republican representative to participate in the race for the White House in 2024.
The poll found that former US President Donald Trump received 48% support, followed by Mr. DeSantis with 31% support. Third and fourth in the poll were former US Vice President Mike Pence and Congresswoman Liz Cheney, with 8% and 3% support, respectively.
Last week, former US President Donald Trump warned on the social network Truth Social that he “could be arrested on March 21.” Mr. Trump said he made this prediction based on “illegally leaked” information from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York City.
Trump is reportedly being investigated by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for allegedly breaking the law by paying $130,000 to keep porn actress Stormy Daniels quiet about an affair with him before the 2016 presidential election.
Mr Trump has repeatedly asserted his innocence, denying that he had an affair with Daniels in 2006 and urging his supporters to oppose a possible indictment.
Although no decision has been made in the case, Republicans, both supporters of the former president and some critics, have speculated that the indictment would only help Trump’s chances of being re-elected to the White House.
“If prosecutors obtain an arrest warrant for Mr. Trump, the move would solidify the former president’s support and make the largest contribution to Mr. Trump’s federal campaign yet,” Taylor Budowich, a former Trump spokesman, said in a statement.
New Hampshire Republican Governor Chris Sununu, who has criticized Mr Trump in the past, also told CNN that an arrest of Mr Trump could boost “a lot of sympathy for the former president”.
“I don’t know what happens when you pay hush money to a porn star to keep her quiet about some alleged incidents. The New York attorney general is pursuing a political agenda by targeting a Republican,” DeSantis, who has not yet formally announced his White House bid, said when asked about a possible indictment of Trump.
“I think DeSantis is going to see a drop in the polls,” said Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican. “He’s really been slipping in the last few weeks. President Trump continues to solidify his position as the Republican nominee.”
Mr. Trump himself has also affirmed that an indictment will not affect his third run for the White House.
“This is the new normal, the president has been tested many times. Similar actions of this type have been going on since 2016. We are confident that we will deal with them comprehensively,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told ABC News on March 24.
