According to a recent survey conducted by Monmouth University, nearly half of Republicans view former President Donald Trump as the strongest candidate to go up against President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election.
Out of the Republican voters surveyed, 45% considered Trump as "definitely" the most formidable candidate to defeat Biden, while an additional 24% said he was "probably" the strongest candidate.
Only 13% of Republican voters said they are certain about another candidate being stronger than Trump, and 18% thought another candidate would "probably" fare better against Biden.
Trump Still Leads
While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, another GOP presidential hopeful, garnered 22% of the respondents' support as a stronger candidate than Trump in facing off against Biden, 26% of the voters believed DeSantis would be "just as strong as Trump."
Additionally, the survey revealed that Trump led the entire Republican primary field by a significant margin, obtaining 54% of the overall support. DeSantis trailed behind with 22%, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, known for his stance against "woke" culture, secured 5% support. All other candidates received 3% support or less.
The survey was conducted between July 12 and 19, 2023, among 681 Republican and Republican-leaning voters, with a margin of error of +/- 5.9 percent. Notably, it was carried out both before and after Trump announced that he was the subject of a Jan. 6 investigation.
Patrick Murray, the director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, observed that Trump's politics of grievance, where he portrays the system as being against the people, has resonated with many Republicans. Despite the criminal charges against him, Trump's stance seemed to make him an even more potent advocate in the eyes of his supporters.
Coinciding with the survey's release was another poll by Messenger/Harris, which showed Trump leading Biden by four points in a head-to-head matchup. This further fueled the belief among Republicans that Trump would be the most formidable candidate to take on the current president in the 2024 election.
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