Photo: Alamy
As the 2024 GOP primaries draw nearer, pre-election polling has consistently shown President Donald Trump leading the pack of Republican primary candidates by unprecedented numbers, including in critical states such as New Hampshire.
According to a CNN/University of New Hampshire poll published Wednesday, Trump holds an unsurprising, commanding lead over his primary opponents in the Granite State.
The poll found that, among the surveyed 1,006 GOP Likely Voters, 39 percent would support Trump, a two-point gain in his support since July.
However, Trump’s challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, experienced the biggest drop in support since July, placing fifth in the field of GOP candidates.
DeSantis dropped 13 points in New Hampshire, according to the poll, after taking second place in July at 23 percent.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy polled in second behind Trump at 13 percent, an eight-point gain from July. Former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley placed third with 12 percent, while former N.J. Gov. Chris Christie came in fourth at 11 percent support.
DeSantis came in fifth with 10 percent, and S.C. Sen. Tim Scott placed sixth with six percent. Former Vice President Mike Pence polled at two percent, while N.D. Gov. Doug Burgum and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd garnered just one percent.
The poll also reported that a majority of voters (51 percent) believed President Trump had the best chance of winning the general election, while just 16 percent believed that Gov. DeSantis fared best.
Chris Christie and Mike Pence were also the only two candidates of the group to have a majority disapproval rating. 67 percent of the New Hampshire Republicans surveyed held a negative view of Christie, and 62 percent disapproved of Pence. 60 percent said they would not vote for Christie “under any circumstances,” according to the poll, while 42 percent said they would never vote for Pence.
While several candidates saw an increase in support in New Hampshire, Trump’s support continues to dominate the field of contenders, including DeSantis, even on a national scale.
Per RSBN, a recent Quinnipiac University poll of registered voters found that Trump led the governor, his closest rival, by 50 points nationally—his largest lead yet.
Nationally, President Trump leads the pack of 10 GOP candidates by over 46 points, according to the Real Clear Politics average, with nearly 60 percent support among primary voters.
In New Hampshire, Trump leads the 10 candidates by nearly 35 points as of Wednesday, with nearly 45 percent support, according to the average from Real Clear Politics.
The New Hampshire GOP primary will likely take place in January 2024, according to Citizens Count, although there is not a set date yet.
The polling results from New Hampshire come one week before the second Republican primary debate is set to take place next Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.
As previously reported by RSBN, President Trump will skip the second debate next week and will travel to Detroit, where he will reportedly meet with striking union auto workers.
