Polling data indicates that a vast majority of Republican voters want President Donald Trump to remain the GOP’s standard-bearer even after the end of his term in office.
A poll released Monday by Rasmussen Reports found that 72% of likely Republican voters believe the GOP should be more like Trump than the average Republican member of Congress. Just 24% of respondents thought Congressional Republicans were a better model for the GOP’s future.
72% of Republicans See Trump As Model for Party’s Future… https://t.co/udDNQv03ct #BreakingPoll pic.twitter.com/UXQgbGUFhm
— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) December 28, 2020
Voters in general are more split about whether the GOP should model itself after Trump or Congressional Republicans. Among all likely voters, 40% backed Trump as the GOP’s standard-bearer while 45% backed Congressional Republicans. Independent and Democratic voters were much more likely to say the GOP should model itself after the average Republican member of Congress.
Republican voters were also more likely to favor a new candidate in 2024, according to the poll. 52% of respondents said the GOP should look for a fresh face to run for president in 2024, while 33% said the GOP should promote a candidate who has already run in the past.
Among all likely voters, 59% said Republicans should look for a fresh face in 2024 while 25% said they should promote a previous candidate. Independent and Democratic voters were also much more likely to back a fresh face on the 2024 Republican ticket.
Trump has reportedly considered running again in 2024 — sources close to the president say he could even skip President-elect Joe Biden’s swearing-in and announce his 2024 bid with a campaign rally on Inauguration Day. (RELATED: Trump’s ‘Path To A Second Term’ Is In 2024, But It ‘Flows Through Georgia’)
The president is likely to remain a kingmaker in the GOP even after he leaves office. Polling data indicates that Republican voters almost unanimously approve of him and an Echelon Insights poll released earlier this month found that a majority of Republican voters would back Trump in the 2024 primaries.
Former presidential candidates like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio have been floated as potential 2024 contenders. Frequent mentions in 2024 polling data also include senior Trump administration officials like Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Trump family like Donald Trump Jr.
The poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters through a national telephone and online survey conducted between Dec. 21-22. The poll had a margin of error of +/- three percentage points.
