Trump tops DeSantis by 36 points in new poll

Trump tops DeSantis by 36 points in new poll

Former President Donald Trump is leading possible 2024 presidential contender Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by a wide margin, according to a new poll.

The CBS News/YouGov poll shows 58% of likely Republican primary voters said they would vote for Trump, compared to 22% who were backing DeSantis. Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, came in third at 5%.

Eight-five percent of Republican polled said they were most looking for a candidate who would challenge “woke” ideas, followed by opposing gun restrictions (66%) and supporting the idea that Trump won the 2020 election (61%). Sixty-nine percent of likely Republican voters polled said they do not consider President Joe Biden as the legitimate winner of the 2020 election.

READ MORE: Trump CNN town hall: Alabama native Kaitlan Collins, frequent target of ex-POTUS, to moderate

Trump’s past performance as president was the overwhelming reason – cited by 94% – that people said they would vote for the Republican again. An equal figure said they backed Trump because “he fights for people like me.”

People who said they wouldn’t vote for Trump said they preferred other candidates (65%) or thought he was too controversial (54%).

The CBS News/YouGov poll was conducted nationally with a sample of 2,372 U.S. residents interviewed between April 27-29. The margin of error was plus/minus 5.4%.