Trump Slays DeSantis in CPAC Texas Straw Poll
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Former President Donald Trump dominated a 2024 straw poll conducted at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, Texas, indicating that he remains the first choice for the Republican party’s presidential nominee, crushing Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and others.
In the numbers released on Saturday, Trump came in first with an overwhelming 69 percent of attendees supporting the former president. DeSantis came in a distant second place with 24 percent, while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) took third with a measly 2 percent.
When asked who the attendees would prefer to be the nominee if Trump chose not to run in 2024, DeSantis–who did not attend the conference in Dallas–faired much better grabbing 65 percent of respondents.
.@CPAC straw poll results: Strong preference for Trump 2024 over DeSantis 2024, but DeSantis leads in field without Trump pic.twitter.com/WsOwAI0SuO
— Emily Ngo (@emilyngo) August 6, 2022
The results of the poll were announced from the CPAC Texas main stage approximately two hours before Trump was scheduled to speak at the conference. It should be noted that the straw poll is not a scientific survey, considering it is limited to solely CPAC attendees and may not be representative of the Republican Party at large.
CPAC has been a whirlwind of newsworthy moments, between the live performance art of a January 6th Capitol rioter crying in a fake jail cell, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán receiving a standing ovation after declaring that marriage should only be shared between a man and a woman, and speeches from Cruz, Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and other influential Republicans.
While neither Trump nor DeSantis have officially announced their intentions to run for president in 2024, rumors have been circulating that both are gearing up for a campaign. The Florida Governor held a major event last month, packed with key Republican donors and governors, with many under the impression that DeSantis is genuinely considering the idea.
In a different new poll released on Saturday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both beat Trump, with Biden beating DeSantis even worse.
