Trump holds wide lead over rivals in race for Republican presidential nomination, poll shows

With 37%, former president ahead of closest competitor Ron DeSantis , according to latest survey by New York Times/Siena College

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) — Former US President Donald Trump is leading his Republican rivals for the 2024 presidential nomination 37% ahead of his closest competitor, according to a poll released Monday.

The New York Times/Siena College poll found that 54% of likely Republican voters support the ex-president, granting him a wide lead over all Republican challengers. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who came in second, trailed by a wide margin with just 17% of respondents saying they would cast their ballot for him.

Trump and DeSantis are followed by former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott, and former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, each of whom have 3% of voters in their corners. Biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy and ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie each garnered support from 2% of those polled.

According to the survey, Republicans who call themselves "very conservative" favored Trump by a 50-point margin — 65% to 15%.

The poll showed that 69% of Republican primary voters see Trump as a "strong leader" compared to 22% who say the same of DeSantis.

The survey was conducted on July 23-27 and polled 1,329 registered voters.

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