Trump’s lead grows after receiving Jan. 6 target letter, new poll says
Julia Johnson
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Former President Donald Trump is expanding his lead over his Republican primary competitors after receiving another target letter from special counsel Jack Smith concerning the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
In new weekly polling of a hypothetical 2024 Republican primary matchup, Trump increased his lead over his opponents, boasting 59%, per Morning Consult. He now has a 43-point lead over his closest challenger, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who slipped to 16%.
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Last week, Trump revealed on social media that he had received the second target letter, giving him four days to report to the grand jury. The former president called the new letter a “witch hunt” and accused the Biden administration of targeting President Joe Biden’s political opponent.
More than half of Republicans believe that Trump is innocent of any charges in relation to the 2020 election and that an indictment would help him in 2024, more than anything. They also believe he would be acquitted of any charges, according to a new Harvard CAPS-Harris poll.
Seventy percent of voters also reported having heard about the possible indictment related to the 2020 election.
In the previous week’s primary tracking, Morning Consult reported Trump having 55% and DeSantis 20%. The week before that, Trump posted 56% to DeSantis’s 17%.
Republican competitors have yet to break Trump’s majority support within the Republican Party roughly six months out from the Iowa caucuses.
Other contenders, all earning single-digit support thus far, remained relatively stagnant in the new polling.
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Asked if they credit the looming indictment with the uptick, Trump’s campaign said the former president’s lead has been consistent.
In a statement, campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said, “President Trump has been dominating in poll after poll — both nationally and statewide — and voters from all backgrounds are clearly standing with him in a big way. The fact is that President Trump will be the nominee and will beat Crooked Joe Biden because he’s the only person who can supercharge the economy, secure our border, safeguard communities, and put an end to unnecessary wars. Americans want to return to a prosperous nation and there’s only one person who can do that — President Trump.”