(GoRealNewsNow.com) – HAPPENING NOW: Just hours ago, the news broke that former President Donald Trump has increased his lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other potential Republican presidential candidates. Interestingly, this new NBC News poll showed this lead has grown even after Trump was recently charged with federal crimes.
However, the poll also suggests a chance for another candidate to rise. Half of the Republican primary voters have indicated they might support another leader. This indicates a potential opportunity for other candidates, even though 60% of Republicans believe that the charges and investigations Trump faces are influenced by political bias.
“It’s unprecedented for a former president to be charged, and our poll doesn’t show any significant impact on his standing,” Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies commented. He conducted this survey alongside Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates.
Republican voters are largely standing by Trump, said Horwitt. “Not only are they supporting him even after his federal charges, but there are also indications that his support is growing while other potential candidates, like DeSantis, are losing ground.”
But Trump’s problem lies with the general public, not within the Republican party. Most registered voters, including 55% of independent voters, express concerns about Trump following his indictment. In a hypothetical 2024 election matchup, President Joe Biden leads Trump by 4 points.
Additionally, the poll shows that the majority of registered voters have concerns about the mental and physical health of both Trump and Biden. They also have reservations about either of them serving another term as president.
The poll, conducted from June 16 to 20, started a week after a federal grand jury charged Trump with mishandling classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago home last year. Despite this, Trump leads substantially over other Republican presidential hopefuls in the poll.
Of national Republican primary voters, 51% chose Trump as their first choice for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. DeSantis came in second with 22%, followed by ex-Vice President Mike Pence with 7%, and ex-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with 5%. No other Republican candidate received more than 4% support.
Trump’s lead over DeSantis has grown from April’s NBC News poll when 46% preferred Trump and 31% picked DeSantis. That poll was conducted shortly after Trump was indicted in New York for allegedly being involved in a hush-money case.
When the choice is narrowed to only Trump and DeSantis, Trump receives 60% support from Republican primary voters, and DeSantis gets 36%.
Overall, 77% of GOP primary voters express minor (14%) or no real concerns (63%) about the federal charges against Trump regarding the classified documents.
In contrast, 55% of all registered voters express major (47%) or moderate concerns (8%) about the charges. Also, 64% of Republican primary voters believe that the numerous indictments and investigations faced by Trump are politically driven and assert that they need to back him to prevent his opponents from winning.
Almost half of Republican primary voters—49%—feel that Trump should continue as the party’s leader, and these voters predominantly choose Trump as their first choice.
Meanwhile, 21% think it’s time to look for other leaders, even while acknowledging Trump was a good president. Most of these voters choose DeSantis, although Trump still garners 20% support in this group.
Another 29% feel that the Republican Party needs a new leader with better personal behavior and a different approach from Trump’s. This group’s support is split among DeSantis, Pence, Christie, and other candidates.
Even though half of the GOP primary voters are open to a different leader, McInturff points out that Trump’s 49% support “is a strong starting point” in a field with multiple candidates.
“Something needs to shift in this race,” he stated, adding that early nominating contests in places like Iowa and New Hampshire have shown the potential to effect such changes in past presidential campaigns.
