OAN’s Daniel Baldwin
9:24 AM – Monday, December 11, 2023
Former President Donald Trump’s lead in Iowa has now topped 50%, according to a new poll from the Des Moines Register.
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The poll reveals 51% of likely Republican caucus goers choose Trump as their top choice for president, up 8% from October. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) slots in at a distant second place with 19%. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) comes in at third with 16%.
“The field may have shrunk, but it may have made Donald Trump even stronger than he was,” said pollster J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., which conducted the Iowa Poll. “I would call his lead commanding at this point. There’s not much benefit of fewer candidates for either Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley.”
The 45th president leads among every voting demographic, according to the poll. Fifty-one percent of Evangelical voters say Trump is their first choice as well. Trump finished third among Evangelical voters in the 2016 Republican Iowa caucus.
“Evangelical [voters] could make up two out of every three caucus goers in Iowa,” Steve Kornacki, election analyst, said. “That was the case the last time.”
Sixty-three percent of first-time caucus goers are all backing the 45th president with only 12% supporting DeSantis and 11% picking Haley. First-time caucus goers tend to make up a younger age demographic.
Trump also leads with every age group and across every income bracket. He additionally outpaces his competition among both self-identified Republicans and independent caucusgoers.
Importantly for Trump, voters increasingly believe that he can defeat President Joe Biden in November 2024. According to the poll, 73% claim they think Trump can beat Biden despite his legal challenges. That is an 8% jump from October.
Enthusiasm for the 45th president is skyrocketing in Iowa, according to the poll, as well. Among likely caucus goers that named Trump as their top pick, 70% of them say their minds are made up. By comparison, only 30% of DeSantis supporters say they are set.
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