GOP Voters Prefer Candidate Who Shares Their Values Over Candidate Who Can Beat Biden: New Poll
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A new CNN poll of GOP and GOP-leaning independents out Tuesday shows that a majority of Republican Party voters would choose a 2024 presidential candidate that reflects their values over one they believe can beat President Joe Biden.
While the 2024 presidential election is still far off, the survey asked Republicans if they would “choose a candidate who agrees with their views on major issues (59%) over one who has a strong chance to beat Biden (41%).”
The poll also asked voters to choose which issue they find “most important” in considering who should be the GOP’s presidential nominee. 32 percent of respondents said the economy, followed by 16 percent who said immigration, 13 percent said candidate qualities, and 9 percent said foreign policy.
Notably, only 7 percent said the size of government or government spending and another 7 percent said “issues related to values, morals, and rights.”
Asked to weigh in on the importance of different qualities for a candidate, 87 percent said demonstrated sharpness and stamina are “essential.”
59 percent said a “pledge to maintain Social Security and Medicare” is “essential,” while 54 percent want to see a candidate who supports “government action to oppose “woke” values.” The same amount of respondents, 54 percent, also want a candidate who “attracts support from outside the party.”
The poll of 1,045 Republicans or Republican-leaning independents, conducted between March 8 to 12th also surveyed support for the top announced and most likely GOP candidates:
Two familiar names rise to the top: 40% say they would most likely back Trump and 36% Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. No other candidate reaches double digits, with former Vice President Mike Pence and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley at 6% each. Combining first and second choice candidates, 65% name DeSantis as their top or second choice, 59% Trump, 22% Pence, 15% Haley and 9% former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with the rest of the field at 5% or less.
The poll carries a 3.8 percent margin of error.
