A new national poll offers more evidence that a significant portion of potential Republican voters are ready to abandon former President Donald Trump.
The survey of 350 respondents who said they planned to vote in the 2024 Republican Primary, conducted by the New York Times and Siena College from July 5 through July 7, showed that 65% of potential Primary voters under the age of 35 and 64% of those with college educations are ready for a different Republican standard-bearer in 2024.
It also showed that Trump would struggle to hit 50% support in a crowded field including DeSantis. The former President overall was the choice of 49% of those surveyed, with the Florida Governor at 25% and all other names surveyed at or under 7%.
There were demographics where DeSantis was more competitive. He tied Trump with White voters with college degrees, with each of them garnering 29% support, and was eight points ahead with that subset of White voters with Bachelor’s degrees. DeSantis was just five points behind Trump with voters from 30 to 44 years of age, with 39% compared to Trump’s 44%.
The New York Times provided selected crosstabs in its Tuesday publication, where the writeup noted that Trump retains strength among one key demographic. Sixty-two percent of Fox News voters prefer the former President, with the Governor at just 26%, despite Fox News offering DeSantis as many friendly interviews as he wants.
But erosion of Trump support in other areas remains significant. Sixteen percent of Trump 2020 voters said they wouldn’t vote for him again, per the NY Times article rolling out the poll. However, even of those who won’t commit to supporting Trump 2024, the former President enjoys 65% approval.
DeSantis continues to make light of any suggestion that he is cultivating a political future beyond Tallahassee.
“Everyone wants to talk about me in Florida,” DeSantis crowed at a recent press conference. “Like, I’m just sitting here, little ol’ me, doing my job!”
This continued a trend for the Governor, who alleged a media “obsession” about a potential campaign in a recent press conference, and has otherwise continued to deflect when asked about 2024 “nonsense.” He sidestepped this topic for a national audience as recently as a Fox News interview last month.
But polling continues to show DeSantis gaining strength, seemingly at the expense of Trump. A June poll by the University of New Hampshire of the first in the nation Primary state had DeSantis over Trump. A recent Iowa poll showed DeSantis gaining support at Trump’s expense. And national polls, though less granular and noisier, have reflected the trend spotlighted in this month’s NY Times/Siena poll.
