It is official. The Republican Party is the party of Donald Trump, not Ronald Reagan.
Asked to choose their dream president from all living, more than a third of the New Hampshire GOP primary chose the New York real estate developer turned politician.
He easily beats the 2024 field and wildcards like Elon Musk or previous candidates like Senator Mitt Romney, the 2012 nominee.
He even beats Ronald Reagan, often singled out by conservatives as the greatest president of all time. Although, considering he’s been dead for nearly 20 years, he shouldn’t have been sneaking up on the results.
So it’s perhaps not surprising that Trump’s 35 percent vote share is ten times that of the Cold War-winning leader who gave his name to a form of low-tax, small-government economy that his party dominated for generations.
Only three percent of New Hampshire Republicans said Ronald Reagan would be their dream president. In contrast, about 35 percent chose former President Donald Trump
The results come in a new poll for DailyMail.com examining the state of the primary race in New Hampshire, one of the pivotal early states.
It found that Trump remains the clear frontrunner, even as his share of an increasingly crowded field has faded.
“The New Hampshire GOP vote is completely on the Trump train,” said JL Partners’ James Johnson, who conducted the poll.
“Given everyone on Earth’s choice to be president, they’re sticking with Donald Trump. And while they rate DeSantis best on a host of topics, they pick Trump for the presidential nomination.
“This doesn’t mean Trump is unbeatable, but without a single challenger he is the clear favorite for the nomination.”
DeSantis came in second for the voters’ dream pick. But Reagan, often ranked as one of the most important Republican presidents of all time, can only manage seventh.
He comes under New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, who undoubtedly benefits from a six percent home field advantage, but who has ruled himself out of a 2024 presidential run.
Two 2024 candidates are tied with Reagan at three percent. Anti-woke entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott have both seen their campaigns gain momentum over the past month, tied with former Senator candidate Mitt Romney.
A word cloud of the results shows Trump’s dominance. But look closely and there are some stars of stage and screen, including an unsuitable Briton, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones
Some respondents even went for Taylor Swift and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second in the poll, while Governor Chris Sununu finished third, benefiting from home field advantage in the New Hampshire poll
Then there’s a series of wildcards in the form of former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, former Democrat turned pin-up favorite of radical right Tulsi Gabbard, and billionaire Elon Musk, the arch-libertarian and liberal con artist.
Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley also joins them with two percent.
Liberal comedian Jon Stewart joins the list at one percent, as does former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Mike Pompeo, who has self-excluded from a 2024 run.
Then there’s a few celebrities who chart less than one percent: singer Taylor Swift, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones (who’s ineligible for the White House because he’s British), actor Clint Eastwood (who at least served as mayor), and fellow movie star Dwayne Johnson.
The study for DailyMail.com was conducted from July 13 to July 20 and has a margin of error of 3.9 percent. It surveyed 591 registered Republicans and others planning to request a primary vote.
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are also cited as dream presidents among New Hampshire Republican voters as both campaigns gain ground
Our new poll shows the state of the New Hampshire Republican primary. The two leading candidates have seen their support share dwindle as others gain momentum
Overall, it appeared that Trump has been losing ground with New Hampshire’s Republicans since April. He received the support of 42 percent of respondents, compared to 51 percent.
And the results mean even more bad news for Ron DeSantis’ failed campaign.
Although it remains in second place, it has dropped from 18 percent in April to 15 percent now.
The poll also offers insight into who Republican voters in the state would like to see as vice president.
Scott comes out on top with 19 percent, ahead of Trump loyalist Kari Lake at 16, Haley at 15 and Ramaswamy at 13 percent.
However, Ramaswamy leads the field when only Trump supporters are asked the question, overtaking Lake, who was in first place when the question was last asked in April.