DeSantis leads Trump in Iowa by eight points in head-to-head matchup
DeSantis leads Trump in Iowa by eight points in head-to-head after sparring over ‘drama’ and ‘porn star’ attack
- DeSantis leads Trump by eight points, 45 to 37, in a head-to-head game
- The scrutiny of public opinion strategies has bound them into a busier field
- Poll comes amid two-way attacks and a national Trump lead over his rival
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is leading Donald Trump in a new probe from Iowa following a week in which he launched some of his harshest attacks on the former president and Trump hit back a series of insults.
The Iowa poll, conducted by Public opinion strategies for Axios, revolves around a state emerging as a major political battleground for forces in the Republican Party hoping to roll back Trump.
DeSantis leads Trump by eight points, 45 to 37, in a head-to-head game, according to the poll.
The news comes after Trump reassembled his base with a rally in Waco where he again attacked Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg amid signs he was about to face charges on matters related to a ‘silence deal’ with porn star Stormy Daniëls . Trump told reporters that DeSantis would work at a cigar store if he was not approved as governor.
DeSantis isn’t performing as well in a crowded primaries, which may be closer to reality a year from now. When former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramswamy are included, Trump and DeSantis are tied in Iowa.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis leads former President Donald Trump in a new Iowa poll
Trump benefited from a free-for-all in the 2016 Republican primary, and could do so again in a large field that divides his supporters.
DeSantis said in an interview last week that he had nothing to do with silent payments to a porn star – in a statement, Trump’s camp took it as an attack. Trump responded with another of his own attacks on “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
Trump and DeSantis tied in New Hampshire in a poll by the same company, with 39 percent each.
Former President Donald Trump has extended his lead over DeSantis nationally, rallying this weekend with his base in Waco, Texas
Trump continued his attacks on DeSantis on his way to Texas and said he would run a cigar store without his approval
DeSantis beat Trump on favorable ratings, with a score of 81-11 in Iowa compared to Trump’s 74-24 among Republican voters. In New Hampshire, DeSantis was 77-5, while Trump’s rating was 69-29.
The early state polls come as Trump has extended his lead over DeSantis national surveys.
He’s become a favorite of a range of Republicans looking for an alternative to Trump, but some of his national policy stances are still well known — such as his recent comment calling Russia’s war on Ukraine a “territorial dispute,” in a comment he tried to walk back.