Former President Trump is the clear favorite to win the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination if he decides to mount another bid for the White House, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released exclusively to The Hill on Monday.
Nearly six in 10 Republican voters surveyed — 58 percent — say they would vote to put the former president back on the ballot in 2024, suggesting the party is ready and willing to give Trump another chance after his 2020 loss to President Biden.
No other potential 2024 Republican candidate comes close to matching Trump. Former Vice President Mike Pence notches a distant second place with 13 percent support among GOP voters, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a rising star in the Republican Party, scored only 9 percent support in a primary field that includes Trump.
Meanwhile, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) are tied for fourth place, garnering 3 percent support each.
“While defeated candidates rarely come back, Trump has a strong lead in the Republican primary especially among the most dedicated Republicans,” Mark Penn, the co-director of the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, said.
Since leaving the White House in January, Trump has both publicly and privately toyed with the notion of mounting a 2024 presidential run.
But in recent weeks, he has begun to signal that he may be more likely to run again than not. He’s ramped up his media appearances and press statements, and he’s planning upcoming rallies in Georgia and Iowa, the first-in-the-nation presidential caucus state.
Of course, the 2024 Republican presidential primary contest is still years away and it’s possible that Trump ultimately decides against a run.
When he wasn’t included in the lineup of potential presidential contenders, Pence took the top spot among Republican voters with 32 percent s… (Read more)
