New survey data showed former President Donald Trump would defeat President Joe Biden in a hypothetical 2024 matchup for the White House.
The latest Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll found that if the rematch of the 2020 election were held today, Trump would top Biden by carrying 46% of the vote. Results showed 41% of voters preferred the incumbent and another 13% said they were unsure.
The totals came in identical to December’s findings.
Perhaps even more telling is that almost two-thirds of respondents, 65%, believed that Biden should step aside in 2024.
The poll, which was conducted Jan. 18-19, showed little effect from the White House’s classified documents scandal. The results were tallied less than a week after the Justice Department named a special counsel to probe the case, and the results largely mirrored December’s.
IT’S DON OVER JOE: New Poll Shows Trump in Clear Lead Over Biden in 2024 Match-Up https://t.co/XkuFoITjKN
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) January 23, 2023
The numbers also revealed the former president is the clear favorite to gain the Republican presidential nod in 2024. Presented with a hypothetical eight-way primary ballot, a full 48% of GOP voters said they would back Trump for a third run at the Oval Office.
That number dwarfed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 28%, though the governor gained three percentage points in the survey from December.
No other possible Republican candidate garnered double-digit support, with former Vice President Mike Pence registering third at 7%. Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) each took 3% of the tally for a fourth-place tie.
But numbers released exclusively to The Hill showed that DeSantis is an up-and-coming force to be dealt with. Besides his jump from December, a Republican slate of candidates that does not include Trump is his to lose.
Results showed 49% of GOP voters would choose the Florida governor if Trump were not in the race.
That is not to discount the former president’s power and standing within the party. If the two were matched head-to-head, the poll showed that Trump would command 55% of Republican voters to DeSantis’ 45%.
Further, Trump remains the only Republican candidate solidly in the race for 2024. DeSantis was recently sworn in for his second term as Florida’s governor and has not formally declared his intentions. So, as of now, the Republican 2024 presidential nod remains in Trump’s hands.
