Donald Trump maintains his clear lead in the Republican nomination in early Iowa state, according to a new poll by , but Ron DeSantis is down nine points while Tim Scott is gaining momentum.
The results spell even more trouble for Florida’s governor, who restarted his campaign this week.
And they come as national attention turns to Iowa next week when candidates will attend the state fair. Polls in the state that picks its candidate first are closely watched because they can determine a candidate’s success or failure.
A poll of likely Republican caucus attendees shows Trump has 43 percent support, up two points from April.
DeSantis’ stuttering campaign has caused him to drop from 26 percent to 17 percent.
JL Partners interviewed 600 likely Republican caucus attendees in Iowa April 1-7. The results show an error rate of +/- four percent
The contest for the Republican nomination was supposed to be a race between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. But a Trump campaign poll suggests the former president is way ahead
Most of that decline appears to have been attributed to the well-funded Scott’s skyrocketing fortunes. In April (before he started the race), he was at 1 percent in the polls. Now it is 11 percent.
The poll was conducted from August 1 to 7, immediately after the third indictment against Trump this year.
“Trump’s indictments have only helped cement his position in Iowa,” said James Johnson, co-founder of Republican polling firm JL Partners, which conducted the research.
“In April, he had a 15-point lead among the likely caucus attendees at Hawkeye State; That now means a lead of 26 points.
“Although voters continue to have positive opinions of the man himself, support for DeSantis is rapidly declining and now he and Tim Scott are just six points separating him from second place.”
“Besides Trump’s rise, the story of this poll is ‘Scottmentum’: ‘Scott is up from 1 percent in April to 11 percent now.’
Iowa polls are a crucial barometer of the race. The state is the first to select its preferred candidate, so the results can make or break a campaign.
That’s good news for Scott, the South Carolina senator, so far. He already had a reputation as a formidable fundraiser with a compelling story of a rough childhood.
Despite the demise of DeSantis, the Florida governor remains the best candidate in a head-to-head to allow Trump to run for the Republican nomination
Senator Tim Scott unveiled his plans to deal with the border crisis last week. His election campaign has become increasingly successful and he has moved up to third place in the polls
Its stock has only risen since the race started with a positive message. He enjoys high popularity ratings and has moved up to third place in a series of first nation polls before his supporters prepare to spend $40 million on a fall ad offensive.
“Tim Scott is the only candidate in this race who really has movement and momentum.” “It’s clear that his positive, conservatism-anchored message is resonating with Iowa caucus-goers,” said Nathan Brand, campaign communications director .
In contrast, this week DeSantis revised his campaign leadership in the face of disappointing poll results and dwindling cash reserves.
His status as the party’s rising star and his landslide victory that secured him a second term as Florida governor last year seems long gone.
But there is good news for him among Republican voters in Iowa.
He performs best in head-to-head matches with Trump, suggesting he still has the best chance of beating the former president in the nomination.
He is 17 points behind Trump in a two-horse race while Scott loses 20 points.
Trump was in court again last week and pleaded not guilty to charges related to his efforts to stay in power after the 2020 election. So far, his legal troubles haven’t helped DeSantis
Polling data from three states show that Donald Trump has a far greater lead among women than men in a head-to-head with Ron DeSantis
Bryan Griffin, press secretary for the DeSantis campaign, said, “This primary is a two-man race between Governor DeSantis and a man running in 2024 to do the things he promised in 2016 and didn’t do.”
“Governor DeSantis is the only candidate in the running who can beat Joe Biden and implement the agenda we need to reverse this country’s decline and revitalize its future.”
So far, Trump’s legal woes have not helped DeSantis garner support from Republicans.
The former president was back in court last week to plead not guilty to four counts related to his efforts to stay in power after the 2020 election.
In the most recent federal case, Trump is accused of three conspiracies: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official process, and conspiracy to violate people’s rights.
Following is a case in New York involving a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
And in June, Trump was charged in federal court with illegally possessing classified documents after leaving the White House and withholding them from the government.