A new poll from the state with the first presidential primary in 2024 shows Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis leading former President Trump among likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters.
The University of New Hampshire poll, conducted between June 16-20, was released on Tuesday. Although the Iowa caucuses precede New Hampshire, the Granite State traditionally holds the first presidential primary.
DeSantis garnered 39% of the likely Republican primary voters; Trump followed with 37%. Former Vice-President Mike Pence trailed a distant third with 9%.
Also:
Biden 50
Trump 43DeSantis 47
Biden 46 https://t.co/0NJD8I1WIU— Patrick Ruffini (@PatrickRuffini) June 22, 2022
Among those same voters, DeSantis enjoyed a net favorability rating of 66%; Trump’s approval rating followed at 46%.
Further demonstrating the rising ascendancy of DeSantis, in a head-to-head matchup with President Biden among all prospective New Hampshire voters, he led Biden 47%-46% in a state where Biden defeated Trump by eight percentage points in 2020. Trump in a head-to-head rematch with Biden was behind by virtually the same margin as 2020 as Biden led 50%-43%.
Trump voters in the poll liked DeSantis virtually unanimously; a whopping 97% of voters who voted for Trump in 2020 would vote for DeSantis over Biden in 2024. 90% of voters who voted for Biden in 2020 would vote for the president again in a potential 2024 battle with DeSantis.
When asked which candidate they would support as their second choice if their preferred candidate was not the top choice, DeSantis led at 30%; Trump followed at 24%.
69% of New Hampshire voters surveyed did not want Trump to run again.
“Support for DeSantis has more than doubled since October,” The UNH poll noted. “DeSantis runs better against Biden than does Trump, a further sign of Trump’s weakening support among NH Republicans. Biden and Trump are increasingly unpopular in New Hampshire and only about half of members of each of their own parties want them to run for President in 2024.”
Two recent straw polls showed DeSantis being favored over Trump; A 2024 presidential election straw poll conducted at the Western Conservative Summit in Colorado asked respondents to vote for all the candidates that they would approve for president, and found that 71% approved of DeSantis for 2024; while 68% approved of Trump. A 2024 straw poll conducted at the Wisconsin Republican Convention showed DeSantis received nearly 38% of the vote: Trump followed at 32%.
Last week Biden again showed he is wary of DeSantis, mocking him for targeting Disney over its opposition to the Parental Rights in Education bill. Biden and his team have targeted him for months.
Last August, Biden snidely responded, “Governor Who?” when asked about DeSantis. DeSantis quipped, “I guess I’m not surprised that Biden doesn’t remember me; I guess the question is, what else has he forgotten?”