Former President Donald Trump continues to hold a significant lead in the latest Emerson College poll for the potential Republican primary field, widening the gap between him and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R).
DeSantis, who has not yet announced his candidacy, now trails Trump by 46 points, having garnered only 16% support from Republican primary voters in the new survey.
This represents a nine-point drop for the Florida governor compared to the previous poll conducted in February.
Meanwhile, Trump’s support rose to 62%, up from 55% two months ago.
Aside from Trump and DeSantis, who have consistently led in the polls, former Vice President Mike Pence came in third with 7% support.
Other potential candidates, including former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, all polled at 3% or lower.
The increased lead for Trump and the decline in support for DeSantis follow the recent arrest and charging of the former president with 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records, marking the first time a sitting or former president has faced criminal charges.
According to the Emerson poll, President Biden’s job approval rating has dropped by three points since the February poll, currently standing at 41%.
On Tuesday, as the President declared his intention to run for reelection, 65% of Democratic voters believed that he should be the 2024 Democratic nominee, while 35% thought it should be someone else.
