Over the weekend, the Wisconsin GOP State convention held a straw poll regarding voters’ preferences for the 2024 presidential election, and the results were quite surprising to several: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis edged out former President Donald J. Trump.
Specifically, the Republican governor, who has rapidly garnered popularity due to his unwavering stance against governmental shutdowns and other erosions of civil liberties, attracted 38 percent of support, with Trump clocking in at 32 percent. Nikki Haley, another potential candidate, attracted 7 percent of the vote.
In addition, the DeSantis soaring past Trump, voters also remained deeply divided over whether or not they wish for Trump to run again at all: Approximately 32 percent of voters declared that they did not want Trump running again, while 41 percent indicated a strong preference for him to run again. A sizeable percentage, 22 percent, is unsure about whether or not they prefer for Trump to face off against another the Democrats’ choice in 2024.
The fact that the straw poll results originate from Wisconsin is significant, given that the state has emerged as a key battleground location in the past few presidential elections. Moreover, while 1,500 individuals attended the convention, only 325 individuals, or just over 20 percent, cast ballots in the straw poll.
According to analysis from FloridaPolitics.com, the poll is indicative of the reality that “Trump fatigue may be setting in.”
While Florida is considered the “home state” for both DeSantis and Trump, other presidential possibilities who originate from Florida, including Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Rick Scott, clocked in at 2 percent and 1 percent of support, respectively.
However, the analysis also indicates that Trump retains a high level of support from GOP voters, even though the gap with voters is steadily closing.
Wisconsin’s results also differ strongly with Texas’s, as the Lone Star State reports Trump receiving 45 percent of the vote, as opposed to 28 percent for DeSantis.
In general, when Trump is not included as one of the options in a poll, DeSantis tends to be the prevailing favorite amongst conservatives nationwide.
Trump recently promoted his continued popularity within the GOP on his social media website, Truth Social, over the weekend.
“98 percent approval in the Republican Party,” Trump exclaimed, “thank you!”
