A new poll from YouGov provides further evidence for one of the most important narratives to emerge from the midterms: Florida governor Ron DeSantis is the frontrunner to top the GOP’s ticket in 2024.
According to the survey of 413 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 42 percent want DeSantis to be the party’s nominee two years from now, while 35 percent would prefer former president Donald Trump. It was conducted in the immediate aftermath of Tuesday’s disappointing returns for the GOP.
As of Saturday morning, Republicans are not guaranteed to wrest control of either chamber of Congress away from Democrats, who were thought to be underdogs in both the House and Senate prior to Election Day.
In a YouGov poll conducted in mid-October, Trump boasted the support of 45 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaners, and DeSantis trailed him by ten points.
On Tuesday, voters overwhelming rejected Republicans running for statewide office who were endorsed by Trump in crowded primary fields, or otherwise made an effort to emulate the former president. The dishonorable roll includes Mehmet Oz and Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania and Blake Masters in Arizona. Fervent and then faint-hearted stop-the-stealer Don Bolduc was embarrassed in New Hampshire. Kari Lake’s fate is unclear, and Herschel Walker will advance to a Senate run-off in Georgia against incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock after running behind him on Tuesday.
And in the House, successful primary challengers to Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the January 6 Capitol riot seem to have fumbled the ball, too. John Gibbs lost in Michigan’s third congressional district, and Joe Kent may very well manage to do the same in Washington’s third district.
The electorate seemed to indicate that it’s tired of the vice-ridden circus Trump travels with. And after Trump’s post-election meltdown, it appears that Republicans might be ready to do the same.