Republican voters want Trumpism without Trump by 2-to-1: Poll
As former President Donald Trump struggles to gain traction with his nascent re-election bid, there are new signs that Republican voters may be ready to turn the page on the man who has become their party's most defining figure.
According to a just-released USA Today/Suffolk University poll, GOP voters are significantly more excited about a potential presidential run from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) than Trump's candidacy, with 65 percent of respondents indicating they want DeSantis in the race. More than half of the respondents said they preferred him over Trump, whose overall approval rating has dropped to 30 percent.
"DeSantis outpolls Trump not only among the general electorate, but also among these Republican-leaning voters who have been the former president's base," Suffolk University Political Research Center Director David Paleologos said in a release accompanying the polling data. "Republicans and conservative independents increasingly want Trumpism without Trump."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
The poll also shows DeSantis beating President Biden in a head-to-head race, 47 percent to 43, just outside its 3.1 point margin of error for all 1,000 respondents who participated between December 7-11. That data is tempered slightly by a separate poll also released Tuesday from Morning Consult, which shows Biden and DeSantis effectively tied at 42 percent apiece among approximately 7,000 respondents over roughly the same time period. That same data showed Biden narrowly defeating Trump 43 percent to 41.
However, as Suffolk's polling suggest, voters are similarly unenthusiastic about a second Biden term, with more than 67 percent of overall voters indicating they don't want the president to run again. Trump fared only slightly worse among overall respondents, with 69 percent saying they were opposed to his new campaign for the White House.
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
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
Today's political cartoons - October 23, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - loving thy neighbour, an HR matter, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Giuliani must hand assets to women he defamed
Speed Read The former New York City mayor must turn over his apartment and other possessions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Abercrombie ex-CEO charged with sex crimes
Speed Read Mike Jeffries ran the brand during its heyday from 1992 to 2014
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Giuliani must hand assets to women he defamed
Speed Read The former New York City mayor must turn over his apartment and other possessions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Labour risking the 'special relationship'?
Today's Big Question Keir Starmer forced to deny Donald Trump's formal complaint that Labour staffers are 'interfering' to help Harris campaign
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Trump aims to be a fascist dictator, John Kelly says
Speed Read The retired general was Trump's chief of staff from 2017 to 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Life in a swing state
Opinion Why the election can't come soon enough
By Susan Caskie Published
-
Would Trump really use the military against Americans?
Talking Points The former president says troops could be used against 'enemy within'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Central Park 5 sue Trump for defamation
Speed Read The group was wrongfully convicted of raping a jogger in 1989
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Moldova backs joining EU in close vote marred by Russia
Speed Read The country's president was also pushed into a runoff election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump leans on tariffs to boost U.S. economy
The Explainer 'Tariff' is 'the most beautiful word in the dictionary,' says the former president
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published