Overcoming a wave of negative media, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump remain firmly in control of the 2024 primaries, each leading rivals by double digits in a new Zogby poll.
Biden, declared by even some of his friends as too old to win, has the support of 40.8% of Democratic primary voters. Vice President Kamala Harris is a very weak second at 11.3% in the survey shared with Secrets.
SUPPORT FOR MORE GUN CONTROL LAWS SAGS: GALLUP
Trump, who is under fire for attending a dinner with a white supremacist, tops the GOP with 46.8% support from Republican primary voters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is a strong second at 27.9%.
Pollster Jonathan Zogby said that the most notable result from his polls is the rise of DeSantis. “What’s noteworthy is DeSantis has more than doubled his support from our last poll (12%, May 2022) and after a strong Republican performance all throughout Florida in the midterm election,” he said.
“DeSantis has gained ground and is winning or close to Trump in key sub-groups, such as older voters aged 65+ (DeSantis leads 41% to 33%), independents (DeSantis leads 35% to 33%), suburban voters (Trump leads 41% to 37%), suburban males (DeSantis leads 47% to 37%), men (Trump leads 44%-32%), and voters with college degrees (Trump leads 38% to 34%),” Zogby said in his analysis.
As for Biden, Zogby said the president is in control of his destiny.
“It all comes down to if President Biden decides to run for a second term in 2024. If he doesn’t, there are a whole host of competent candidates on the Democratic side, but do they have the mettle and cross-over appeal to win over all of America? While that is something to ponder, Biden is in a good position after an impressive hold of the Senate and near miss in the House of Representatives in the midterm election. Biden has momentum after holding strong in an election that was a referendum of his first two years as president.”
But because there remain questions about Biden’s post-Christmas decision on running and concerns Trump will be punished by voters for his sloppiness, Zogby also asked voters who they’d back if neither were in the primaries.
On the Democratic side, Harris leads with just 31.6%, suggesting there would be a wide-open primary if Biden bailed out. Sen. Bernie Sanders is second at 13.1%.
On the Republican side, it would be DeSantis at 48.4% versus former Vice President Mike Pence at 20.6%.
Zogby said, “We have two long years to wait for the primaries and general election, but with Donald Trump announcing his candidacy, the race starts immediately. It’s still Trump and Biden’s races to lose on their respective sides. A lot could happen between now and the general election. Biden could get really old in the next two years, or Trump might be indicted. Republicans do seem to have a successor in mind, Ron DeSantis, while the Democrats’ successor to the president is most likely Kamala Harris right now. The thought of another Biden and Trump presidential election is dull, but the thought of neither running is exciting.”
SEE THE LATEST POLITICAL NEWS AND BUZZ FROM WASHINGTON SECRETS
