GOP post-election polls show DeSantis trouncing Trump in 2024 primaries, dulling Trump's big announcement
A number of Republican lawmakers, conservative pundits, and other prominent voices in GOP politics — notably Rupert Murdoch's media empire — are publicly blaming former President Donald Trump for the party's historically poor showing in last week's midterm elections. If Trump is the big loser here, the early Republican winner of the 2022 elections is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who coasted to reelection and appears to have cemented the electoral powerhouse as a solidly red state.
Trump has been written off by his party before, notably after the Access Hollywood tape in 2016 and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, only to reassert his dominance in short order. But a series of post-midterms polls on Monday — a day before Trump is expected to announce his 2024 presidential campaign — suggest Trump's erosion in the GOP is real this time.
The Club for Growth, a conservative advocacy group that was once firmly aligned with Trump, released polls Monday showing DeSantis beating Trump by double digits in 2024 GOP primary matchups in Iowa (11 percentage points), New Hampshire (15 points), Georgia (20 points), and Florida (26 points). A separate poll Monday commissioned by the Texas Republican Party found Trump losing to DeSantis in the Lone Star State by 11 points in a field of six candidates.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A slew of polls by Republican firms predicted a "red wave" in the midterms, so some outside observers are skeptical of the accuracy and of these new Trump-DeSantis surveys, and the motivation behind them.
But another post-midterms poll by nonpartisan pollster YouGov also found DeSantis beating Trump among Republicans and GOP-leaning voters by 7 points, 42 percent to 35 percent. Polls before the election uniformly showed Trump as the heavy GOP favorite in 2024.
Brendan Buck, a former aide to the last two Republican House speakers, Paul Ryan and John Boehner, warned that Trump is a danger to the GOP whether he's embraced or rejected.
"A Republican civil war is erupting at virtually every level of the party," and "this is only the beginning," Axios predicts. "Election disappointments always lead to recriminations," and most of the candidates Trump boosted in the midterms lost, often in winnable races. The defeat of Kari Lake in Arizona's gubernatorial race on Monday night may well be the final straw for Republicans, Washington Post columnist Jason Willick suggests.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Why Roman epic Those About to Die has split the critics
Talking Point Sword and sandals miniseries starring Anthony Hopkins puts spectacle above story
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Why is China stockpiling resources?
The Explainer The superpower has been amassing huge reserves of commodities at great cost despite its economic downturn
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Paraguay's dangerous dalliance with cryptocurrency
Under The Radar Overheating Paraguayans are pushing back over power outages caused by illegal miners
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Why is China stockpiling resources?
The Explainer The superpower has been amassing huge reserves of commodities at great cost despite its economic downturn
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The GOP is Donald Trump Jr.'s party now
In The Spotlight The former president's gun-loving, live-streaming adult son has emerged as more than just his father's namesake — he's become a Republican powerhouse of his own
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
For God and country: is religion in politics making a comeback?
Talking Point There are many MPs of faith in the new Labour government despite it being the most openly secular House of Commons in history
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The attack on Donald Trump
Opinion We've seen this kind of shooter before
By Susan Caskie Published
-
74 things Donald Trump has said about women
Feature The former president has a long history of controversial remarks about the opposite sex
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
DHS opens review of Trump assassination attempt
Speed Read An independent panel will investigate the Secret Service's handling of the shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Can Kamala Harris beat Trump?
Today's Big Question Some senior Democrats are unsure the vice-president can win in November even as party closes ranks behind her
By The Week UK Published
-
Iran: does Masoud Pezeshkian's election mark a turning point?
Talking Point New president is seen as a progressive but much will depend on how the US reacts
By The Week UK Published