Trump tops DeSantis by 36 points in new poll

Former President Trump, who’s running to return to the White House in 2024, now leads Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a possible contender who hasn’t yet declared a 2024 bid, by 36 points in a new poll of Republican primary voters.

A CBS News-YouGov poll, released Monday, found Trump at the head of a hypothetical GOP primary field with 58 percent of the vote, followed by DeSantis with 22 percent. 

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) and conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, both of whom have launched official bids for the Republican nomination, earned just 4 and 5 percent, respectively. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who hasn’t yet said whether he’s running, also earned 5 percent.

DeSantis has polled as a top potential GOP contender and has been stoking speculation about a possible 2024 run, but Trump has pulled well ahead of the Florida governor in recent polling. 

Among those in the CBS News poll who say they’re voting for the former president, three-quarters cite that “he actually won in 2020” as a reason they’re backing him again. More than 90 percent cite his performance as president, as well as that “he fights for people like me.” 

Eighty-four percent of those backing Trump cite that they think he would beat President Biden, who just launched his reelection bid, as a justification.

About a quarter of likely GOP primary voters said they’re considering only Trump for the 2024 nomination (24 percent), while roughly half say they’re considering Trump and other candidates (49 percent). Another 27 percent say they’re not considering the former president.

Among the Republicans who say they’re not voting for Trump in 2024, 65 percent say they like other candidates more. Fifty-four percent say they won’t back him because he’s “too controversial.” 

The CBS News-YouGov poll surveyed 2,372 voters from April 27-29 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 5.4 percentage points for likely Republican primary voters.