Trump leads DeSantis in primary but loses to Biden in general election: Poll

Jack Birle

March 15, 05:44 PM March 15, 05:44 PM

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Former President Donald Trump leads Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) nationally in a new poll, but he falls to President Joe Biden by 4 points.

The Quinnipiac University poll talked to 677 Republicans and GOP-leaning voters. The results showed Trump leading DeSantis 42%-36% in a wide field of candidates and 51%-40% head to head.

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“DeSantis might be the buzz in the GOP conversation, but for now Trump is seeing no erosion and, in fact, enjoys a bump in his lead in the Republican primary,” Tim Malloy, polling analyst for Quinnipiac University, said in a statement.

In the wide field of GOP contenders, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley finishes in a distant third place with 5% of the vote, and no one else gets more than 3%.

In a wider Quinnipiac survey of 1,635 registered voters, DeSantis and Trump both fall to Biden. DeSantis would lose to Biden 47%-46%, and Trump would lose to Biden 49%-45%, according to the poll, which had a 2.4% margin of error.

The poll also showed a majority of voters viewing Trump and Biden unfavorably, with 58% viewing Trump unfavorably and Biden 54%. Forty percent of voters view DeSantis unfavorably, 36% view him favorably, and 23% say they have not heard enough about him.

The survey is the latest to show Trump and DeSantis as the leading candidates in the Republican primary with others in the field far behind.

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DeSantis has not announced a presidential run but is expected to announce a White House bid in late May or early June when Florida’s legislative session has concluded. Despite not being an announced candidate, some, including Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), have endorsed the Florida governor.

Trump has increasingly attacked DeSantis in recent weeks, including claims that without his endorsement in the 2018 gubernatorial race, DeSantis would be working at a “law firm” or “Pizza Hut.”