Former President Donald Trump holds a 47-point lead in the Republican presidential primary race for his largest cushion since Emerson College Polling began tracking in June 2022.
Trump received 59% support, a 9-point increase from August, in the September Emerson College Polling national survey.
"The Trump voter remains resilient, and despite a dip in August's post-debate poll, Trump has now expanded his lead and has improved his position from before the first debate," said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis received 12%, the only other GOP candidate in double figures.
Trump and DeSantis were followed by businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (7%), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (5%), former Vice President Mike Pence (5%), former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (3%) and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., (2%). Five percent were undecided.
Overall, 63% of Republican primary voters say they definitely will support their chosen candidate, while 36% say there's a chance they could change their mind and vote for someone else.
"Seventy-five percent of Trump voters say they will definitely support him in the Republican primary, up four points since the August survey, while 42% say the same of Ron DeSantis — a significant hardening among supporters of DeSantis since August, when 25% said the same," said Matt Taglia, senior director at Emerson College Polling.
President Joe Biden's approval rating (41%) fell 2 percentage points in a month, and his disapproval rating (47%) remained the same.
A total of 62% of Democrat primary voters say they plan to support the president for reelection; 14% support Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and 4% support author Marianne Williamson, 21% are undecided.
Trump and Biden are tied, each with 45% support, in a potential rematch of the 2020 general election. Ten percent of voters say they are undecided.
However, when Green Party candidate Cornel West is added to the ballot, Trump (43%) holds a 1-point lead over Biden (42%). Another 4% support West and 11% are undecided.
The Emerson survey also found that a majority (55%) of voters say Biden's age might make it too difficult for him to handle the job. Another 29% say his age offers the experience and wisdom to do a good job as president, and 16% say his age doesn't matter.
"Republican and independent voters think Biden's age makes the job of president too difficult, at 79% and 54% respectively, while only a third of Democrats say the same," Kimball said. "Of those who think Biden's age makes the job too difficult, 67% plan to vote for Trump in a general election, while 21% would vote for Biden, and 12% are unsure."
The Emerson College Polling national survey was conducted Sept. 17-18 among 1,125 registered voters.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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