Half of Republicans Don't Want Trump to Run in 2024. Here's Who They'd Rather Elect, According to New Poll
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Republican voters are not set on former President Donald Trump running again in 2024, according to a new New York Times/Siena College poll.
Trump has lost considerable support within his own base as he continues to plant the seeds for a potential 2024 run, with nearly half of Republican primary voters polled saying they want a new candidate in the next general election.
When asked who they'd prefer instead of Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was the next most popular option, though he has not yet confirmed whether he will launch a campaign.
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As Trump continues to travel across the country and hold rallies attempting to consolidate his popularity within the party, skeptics about the viability of a possible reelection campaign have found new importance.
The most striking of demographics that oppose a Trump reelection effort are those under 35 years old, 64% of which said they would object to Trump heading the 2024 ticket and instead said they would vote for somebody else in the Republican primary.
Even more concerning for Trump is primary voters who are college-educated, with 65% of those polled saying they would vote against Trump if he ran against other Republican nominees.
One factor that is hindering Trump's popularity greatly couldn't be more clear: Republican voters are fed up with his efforts to overturn President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 general election and the consequences of his actions that transpired in the months following his defeat, notably the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol Building.
Nearly 20% of Republicans polled said Trump "went so far that he threatened American democracy" — a small number, but one that shows enough discontent with his election conduct to threaten his chances of winning.
Trump still does have plausible path to the nomination, though. He maintains his primacy in the party, and in a hypothetical showdown versus other potential Republican presidential hopefuls, 49% of primary voters said they would support him in 2024. Somebody that stands in his way and has had constant rumors swirling about his own aspirations to the presidency: DeSantis.
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Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Ron DeSantis (left), Donald Trump
The 43-year-old Governor of Florida, who has witnessed his approval within the Republican Party skyrocket after his unconventional approach to the pandemic and consistent rebukes of the Biden administration, may be eyeing up a 2024 run. DeSantis' age and military experience could be pivotal swing factors in a potential matchup against Trump.
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One quarter of the 350 respondents said they would nominate DeSantis to lead the ticket, and the Yale- and Harvard-educated politician received more support from voters who have obtained at least a bachelor's degree than Trump.
DeSantis was also the only of the other five preferred candidates to receive double-digit support, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz placing in third with 7%.
Former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley each received 6% of respondents' support, and former Sec. of State Mike Pompeo had the support of 2%, according to the poll.
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There have been reports circulating within the Trump camp that the former President, 76, may announce his 2024 campaign sooner rather than later to discourage a DeSantis bid. The Florida governor already has his hands full as he is up for reelection in his state in November.
Trump also faces legitimate pushback from voters polled in the Times/Siena poll that said they would refuse to vote for him, with 16 percent saying they would instead support President Joe Biden, would vote for a third-party candidate, wouldn't vote at all or were unsure what they would do.
President Biden's support is cratering among his own base, with approval ratings sitting at an all-time low 33% and a growing majority of Democrats wishing to see somebody else on the 2024 ticket, a matchup between candidates other than 45 and 46 is looking more and more likely.
