Former President Donald Trump has a 15-point lead in NBC News’s recent hypothetical primary poll and two-thirds backing him after the “politically motivated” attempt to stop him from succeeding.
Forty-six percent of the 292 Republican primary voters in the NBC News poll from April 14 to 18 said they would vote for Trump in the presidential Republican primary if it was held “today.” Trump’s huge support allows him to lead his closest opponent — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — by 15 points.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flashes a thumbs-up following an address at a New Hampshire Republican Party dinner, Friday, April 14, 2023, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
DeSantis, who has not announced if he is running for president in 2024, had 31 percent of the vote in the hypothetical poll. The remaining presidential Republican primary options were only in the single digits.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has also not announced if he is officially running in the race, garnered six percent support. Additionally, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who both announced they are running, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who is exploring a 2024 bid, are all at three percent. Anti-woke businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is at two percent.
Former Vice President Mike Pence visits “Fox & Friends” at Fox News Channel studios on November 16, 2022, in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
However, when asked to pick a second choice, 33 percent said they would pick DeSantis, while 20 percent would pick Trump, and 14 percent would pick Haley.
Additionally, two-thirds of the Republican respondents said they supported Trump despite the investigations. Sixty-eight percent said they agreed with the statement that the investigations into the former president “are a politically motivated attempt to stop Trump” and that “no other candidate is like him.” Only 18 percent agreed that “it is important to nominate a candidate who will not be distracted and can beat Joe Biden.”
NEW NBC News poll: “A whopping two-thirds of Republican primary voters say they stand behind former President Trump and dismiss concerns about his electability, despite his recent criminal arrest and the other legal investigations into his past conduct” https://t.co/pN46VdlYuA
— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) April 23, 2023
As DeSantis waits to announce if he is running, the Republican congressional delegation from Florida, where they both live, has already started to pick sides — giving a significant blow to the governor. Over half of the 20 lawmakers in DeSantis’s own backyard have announced their support for Trump. A handful of them announced their support after the governor visited with some GOP lawmakers in Washington, DC.
The NBC poll also found that Democrat President Joe Biden significantly trails a generic Republican ahead of his expected campaign launch this week. As reports have shown Biden could announce as soon as Tuesday, the poll showed that only 41 percent of respondents would “probably” or “definitely” vote for him in November 2024, compared to the 47 percent who said they would “probably” or “definitely” vote for the GOP nominee.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his proposed budget for fiscal year 2024, Thursday, March 9, 2023, at the Finishing Trades Institute in Philadelphia. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)
The poll was conducted by Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies with 800 registered voters from April 14 to April 18 and saw a 3.46 percent margin of error. The GOP primary questions had 292 Republican primary voter respondents and had a 5.99 percent margin of error.
WATCH: West Virginia AG Patrick Morrisey Endorses Donald Trump in 2024:
Morrisey 2024
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
https://www.breitbart.com/2024-election/2023/04/23/nbc-poll-trump-shows-15-point-lead-hypothetical-primary-nearly-70-support-republicans/