(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump remains the front-runner for the GOP 2024 nomination, holding a substantial lead over all other candidates.
Polling from The New York Times/Siena College found that 54% of respondents said they were most likely to vote for Trump if the Republican primary were held today. That put the former president 37 percentage points ahead of second-place Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who got just 17% of the hypothetical vote.
The Republican primary has become crowded early in the game, with challengers hoping to unseat Trump, who many in the GOP fear could alienate swing voters in the general election. Polling from NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ found a rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden would make nearly half of voters consider supporting a third party.
When it comes to the Republican base, however, Trump continues to hold strong support. After DeSantis, support for other candidates dropped off even more sharply, with former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., getting three percent of the vote each. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy garnered two percent each and all other candidates fell under one percent.
DeSantis has been widely seen as Trump’s most viable challenger, but the former president has continued to rally voters despite facing multiple legal battles. Trump is facing a federal indictment in Florida over classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago home and a state indictment in New York for falsifying business records.
There are also signs more charges may be forthcoming against Trump, both related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Special Counsel Jack Smith is leading a federal probe into the issue and recently informed Trump he was a target of that investigation. Prosecutors in Georgia are also conducting their own investigation, which is also nearing completion.
Trump has called the investigations politically motivated “witch hunts” and accused investigators of being partisan and attempting to influence the 2024 election. Other candidates have treaded lightly when it comes to using the legal woes against Trump, though DeSantis has attempted to pitch himself as more electable.
For Republican voters, it’s a message that appears to be missing the mark. The poll results showed Trump ahead in all demographics within the Republican party. Even if all other candidates were removed to narrow the field, something Sen. Mitt Romney has called on them to do, to prevent another Trump candidacy, Trump would still come out ahead. Results showed him beating DeSantis 62 to 31 in a two-person race.
