Despite the fact that potential 2024 Republican primary voters are 16 points more likely to have heard negative press on former President Donald Trump than positive news, Trump's support remains a strong majority.
Trump still maintains 59% support nationally among potential GOP primary voters, leading runner-up Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (16%) by 43 points, according to the latest Morning Consult Poll released Tuesday.
The poll results in a series show a minimal impact of the two most recent special counsel Jack Smith indictments. While the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's indictment of Trump boosted his poll numbers, the classified documents indictment in Miami and the Washington, D.C., attempt to criminalize Trump's 2020 elections challenge have not moved Trump's majority support nationally.
"Potential GOP primary voters are 16 points more likely to have recently heard something negative than positive about Trump (49% to 33%) following his latest indictment," Morning Consult's Eli Yokley wrote in his analysis.
"It's similar to Trump's standing by the metric following his indictment over his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House, but not nearly as bad as after he was charged in New York for making alleged hush-money payments."
Notably, DeSantis' now three-time campaign reloads have yet to move the needle from the No. 2 spot.
"The Florida governor's campaign reset appears to have had a negligible immediate impact on his standing in the contest," according to Yokley.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is showing some boost nationally, though.
"Ramaswamy is more popular than ever," Yokley wrote, noting Ramaswamy's favorability rating is up to a high of 56%.
Still, that pales in comparison to Trump's 81% favorability rating, which ties his post-midterms high reached in April after his first indictment.
The full 2024 GOP primary poll results:
- Trump 59%.
- DeSantis 16%.
- Ramaswamy 8%.
- Former VP Mike Pence 6%.
- Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley 3%.
- Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., 3%.
- Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie 3%.
- Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson 1%.
- Someone else 1%.
- North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum less than 1%.
- Miami Mayor Francis Suarez less than 1%.
- Former Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, less than 1%.
There have been eight GOP primary candidates who have qualified for the first GOP debate in two weeks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Those are the top seven above, along with Burgum. Hutchinson is short on donors, while businessman Perry Johnson and Suarez are short on polling requirements.
Morning Consult polled 3,486 potential Republican primary voters Aug 4-6. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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