Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis beats former President Donald Trump by nine percentage points in a possible head-to-head matchup, a new poll obtained by the Daily Caller shows.
The poll found that if Trump and DeSantis were to head off in a primary race, DeSantis would win 49% of the vote while Trump would receive 40%. Eleven percent of voters were undecided. Those who describe themselves as “very conservative” favored Trump 52% to DeSantis, who garnered 41%. Those who were “somewhat conservative” or “moderate/liberal” favored DeSantis over Trump 56% to 35% and 51% to 30% respectively.
Trump fares better when more candidates enter the ring, leading DeSantis by four percentage points when others like former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and others joined.
THE VILLAGES, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 23: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gives two thumbs up towards U.S. President Donald Trump after he asked him how it was going in the state as he speaks during his campaign event at The Villages Polo Club on October 23, 2020 in The Villages, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
When it comes to social issues, both Trump and DeSantis were tied at 46%. Trump pulled ahead by 6% when it came to defense issues, leading DeSantis 49% to 43%. But when it came to economic issues, voters preferred DeSantis by a whopping 53%, 20 points more than Trump. Fourteen percent of those polled were undecided on economic issues. (RELATED: Trump’s Line Of Attack On DeSantis Could Backfire In A Major Way)
Amongst evangelicals, Trump led by 11% for those who do not attend church regularly while DeSantis led 7% among those who do regularly go to church.
The poll was conducted amongst 3,015 likely 2024 Republican primary voters nationwide by WPAi for Club for Growth between Jan. 17-27. The margin of error is +/- 1.8 percentage points.