61 percent of GOP primary voters back Trump in new poll

Sixty-one percent of potential GOP primary voters in a new poll back former President Trump as he runs for the White House again in 2024, putting him more than 40 points above Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a rumored contender who hasn’t announced an official bid. 

The survey from Morning Consult found Trump leading DeSantis by 43 points, with the governor securing support from 18 percent of respondents. Trump is up 1 percentage point and DeSantis is down 1 percentage point from earlier this month, according to the tracker.

In third place is Trump’s former vice president Mike Pence — who also hasn’t launched a bid — with 6 percent.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy — both of whom have already jumped into the race — earned just 4 percent each.

Trump’s hefty lead over DeSantis is in line with results of other recent polls showing the former president leading a hypothetical 2024 Republican primary pack. DeSantis has emphasized that he’s not yet a candidate, but all signs point to the Florida governor throwing his hat in the ring, and Trump has been frequently attacking DeSantis as the former president campaigns. 

Conducted May 12-14, the new poll surveyed 3,571 possible Republican primary voters and has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.