Ahead of Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis's formal announcement on Wednesday of a 2024 presidential run, Quinnipiac released a poll stating that former President Donald Trump now commands a 31-point lead over the leader of the Sunshine State.
The poll showed that a resounding 56% of registered voters, either aligned with the Republican Party or leaning in that political direction, have cast their weight behind Trump.
A tweet from InteractivePolls, citing Quinnipiac and its "2024 Republican Primary Polling Trends," read as follows:
February:
• Trump — 42% (+6)
• DeSantis — 36%
March:
• Trump — 47% (+14)
• DeSantis — 33%
MAY:
• Trump — 56% (+31)
• DeSantis — 25%
According to Tim Malloy, a polling analyst at Quinnipiac University, "The first one out of the gate, in what for now still looks like a two-horse race, is moving at full gallop away from a slowly growing pack of contenders."
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley claims the third spot with 3% support, while former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie find themselves in a three-way tie at 2% each. Governors Kristi Noem (S.D.), Chris Sununu (N.H.), and Glenn Youngkin (Va.), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, conservative radio host Larry Elder, and former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney are all locked at 1% support.
In a head-to-head matchup between the top Republican candidates, Trump's support rises to 61% while DeSantis reaches 32%. The survey, encompassing 669 respondents, carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
The poll also considered hypothetical matchups between DeSantis, Trump, and President Joe Biden among a sample of 1,616 "self-reported registered voters" from different political persuasions. Results showed that Trump trails Biden by 2 points (46% to 48%), while DeSantis holds a slim advantage over the president, leading by a single percentage point (47% to 46%). Both races fall within a plus or minus 2.4% margin of error.
Quinnipiac conducted its survey from May 18 to 22.