A Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday has former President Donald Trump overtaking President Joe Biden in Pennsylvania, Breitbart reported. Trump is also 24 points ahead of his nearest challenger in the GOP primary.
The poll was conducted June 22-26 and asked 1,584 registered voters in Pennsylvania about the 2024 presidential election. The results were promising for Trump.
"If the election for president were being held today, and the candidates were Joe Biden, the Democrat, and Donald Trump, the Republican, for whom would you vote?" the poll asked registered voters in the Keystone State. The result was that Trump received 47% while Biden received 46% from respondents.
The breakdown of the choice was firmly along party lines, of course. Among Democrats, 94% voted for Biden, while 89% of Republicans chose Trump.
However, Trump made up ground by picking up 51% of independent voters, while Biden only received 37%. That 14-point spread could be enough to seal the deal from Trump come election time.
As for Trump's hope of becoming the GOP nominee, the former president received 49% of the vote when respondents were asked about the primary. His closest competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, received 25%, while the rest of the field received single-digit support.
Tied for third place with 5% apiece were former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Vice President Mike Pence. Behind the pair were South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott with 4% each and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy with 1%.
The main takeaway from the Republican field is that Trump is far and away the leader. "Though battling fierce legal headwinds, Trump leaves the rest of the GOP pack (including Ron DeSantis) looking like ‘also rans’ and is running neck and neck with President Biden," Tim Malloy, Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst, said of the results.
Trump's support is also strong among those who self-identify as "very conservative." The former president received 57% to DeSantis's 29% for that demographic.
Among those who identify as "somewhat conservative," 53% chose Trump, while 23% chose DeSantis. The gap narrowed among "moderate/liberal" voters, who polled 34% for Trump and 21% for DeSantis.
These results from Pennsylvania are important as it is considered a battleground state that alternates between the parties in any given year. Trump is doing well in other national and state polls, including a 28-point lead in New Hampshire in a recent poll.
The 2024 campaign season won't kick off in earnest for some time, but already the first debate is scheduled for August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Trump may not even participate in that event and instead host his own programming, which would leave his challengers to duke it out among themselves.
Despite all of the attacks, the left has leveled against him, Trump remains popular within the Republican party. DeSantis has a decent shot at making up some ground before the primary season begins, but it may not be enough.
What Trump has that even DeSantis doesn't is the status of being an outsider in Washington, D.C. Republican voters have no appetite for RINOs or anything even close anymore, and establishment party candidates will have to overcome that perception to beat the former president.
