He’s in a strong position in the state, but not an unassailable one, according to this new NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll.
He’s at 42 percent, with DeSantis at 19 percent and Scott at 9. Both DeSantis and Scott have big chunks of the electorate saying they are their second choice or that they are actively considering them. Both also have high favorable ratings comparable to Trump’s. It’s a major advantage for Trump that two-thirds of his vote is locked in, but about a third is persuadable.
In the portion of the survey conducted prior to the Georgia indictment, his lead was 38–20 over DeSantis — again, sizable, but, in the middle of August, not nearly enough to say he has this thing put away.
All the national numbers indicate that this race is over. But the game is still afoot in Iowa.