If the characters and calamity of the 2020 election are any indication of the evolution of American politics, then 2024’s contest is sure to be an all-out brawl with an abundance of drama and strangeness to go around.
This has already been the case to some extent, as former President Donald Trump’s early entrance to race appears to be serving a dual purpose at this point: Freezing out potential challengers on the GOP side of things and allowing Trump to suggest that any litigious attacks against him are innately political on account of his candidacy.
The situation has grown tense in recent weeks, however, as Trump’s legal issues continue to grow, but it certainly doesn’t appear as if the voters seem to mind.
Former President Donald Trump has expanded his lead in the Republican primary race, while President Joe Biden continues to face uncertainty among Democratic primary voters, according to the latest Fox News national survey.
Republican primary voters were read a list of 15 announced and potential candidates for the 2024 nomination. The survey, released Wednesday, finds Trump has doubled his lead since February and is up by 30 points over Ron DeSantis (54%-24%). Last month, he was up by 15 (43%-28%).
The pair were far and away the most likely nominees in the entire party at this time.
No one else hits double digits. Mike Pence comes in third with 6%, Liz Cheney and Nikki Haley receive 3% each, and Greg Abbott comes in at 2%. All others receive 1% support or less, and just 3% are unsure.
DeSantis has yet to officially announce his candidacy, prompting a legal complaint from a Trump-aligned Super PAC that suggests the Florida Governor is running a “shadow campaign” that allows him all of the benefits of being on the campaign trial without any of the costs and regulations that are currently a part of Trump’s daily routine.
