June 25, 2023, 6:55 PM
June 25, 2023, 6:55 PM
Former US President Donald Trump has widened his lead over his immediate rival in the Republican primary, Ron DeSantis, despite federal indictment he faces over classified documents recovered from his Florida mansion, a poll released on Tuesday reveals. Sunday (25.06.2023).
According to a national survey by NBC News, 51% of Republicans would vote for the former president (2017-2021) in the primaries to choose the Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential elections, while the current governor of Florida adds the 22% voting intention.
The poll, carried out between June 16 and 20, that is, after the formulation of 37 federal charges against Trump was made known, and after DeSantis made his presidential aspiration official, reflects that, compared to a poll released in April, the former president has gained five percentage points and that the governor of Florida has lost nine points.
“Not only are they sticking with Trump after the federal impeachment” but “there are several signs that their support is growing or that others are losing ground, particularly DeSantis,” said Jeff Horwitt of pollster Hart Research Associates, which conducted the study. together with Public Opinion Strategies.
Behind are former Vice President Mike Pence, with 7% voting intention, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley (4%) and Senator Tim Scott (3%), among other Republican candidates.
The survey, which presents a margin of error of 4%, reflects that in the event of a hypothetical face-to-face between Trump and the current US president, Joe Biden, the Democrat leads the Republican by precisely four percentage points.
According to the average of the RealClear portal polls, Trump accumulates an average of 52.1% of voting intention, while DeSantis is in second position with 21.5% and Pence in third place with 5.8%.
Trump was formally charged on June 13 in a federal court in Miami with 37 counts related to the around a hundred classified documents found during a search carried out in 2022 at his home in Palm Beach (Florida).
The indictment, the first for federal criminal offenses brought against a US president or former president, was the result of an investigation by special counsel Jack Smith.
Of the 37 charges against Trump, 31 are for knowingly withholding US defense-related documents, but he is also charged with obstructing justice and “corruptly” concealing documents or records.
Trump claims to be innocent of all charges and that he is the victim of a “witch hunt.”
