In a recent New Hampshire poll conducted by CNN and the University of New Hampshire, Florida governor Ron DeSantis found himself in fifth place. He was not only behind the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination— Donald Trump— but also trailing Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, and Chris Christie.
This poll marks another cause for concern for DeSantis, whose hard-right campaign has encountered numerous setbacks since its launch in May with Elon Musk on social media.
Trump is currently facing a staggering 91 criminal charges. These include allegations of election subversion, as well as accusations of retaining classified information and making hush-money payments. Additionally, the former president is facing a number of civil threats— including a defamation case in which he has been found guilty of being a rapist.
Women Are Swapping Their Boring Water For This Ice Pop Electrolyte Mix!
Donald Trump Leads In Recent New Hampshire Poll, Ron DeSantis Descends
Despite allegations of wrongdoing and claims of political persecution, Trump's popularity with Republicans remains largely unscathed. Although his support in the New Hampshire poll was slightly lower at 39% compared to other national and state surveys, he still maintained a significant lead.
CNN reported on a closely fought race for second place, with biotech entrepreneur Ramaswamy receiving 13%, former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador Haley at 12%, and Christie, former New Jersey governor who is very clearly running against Trump and centering his focus on New Hampshire, receiving 11%. DeSantis followed closely with 10%, representing a 13-point decrease since the last poll in July.
DeSantis fervently campaigned with a staunchly conservative agenda, going to great lengths to surpass even the views of Trump, who himself is considered to be an extremist by many.
CNN noted: "DeSantis’s decline comes largely among moderates." The outlet detailed a 20-point drop, stressing that Haley has instead "gained ground with that group."
The publication also added that Ramaswamy’s "standing has grown among younger voters and registered Republicans," and "Christie’s gains are centered among independents and Democrats who say they will participate in the GOP primary."
Apart from the recent CNN-UNH poll, Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina garnered 6% support while Mike Pence, the former governor of Indiana and former vice president under Trump, received 2%. None of the other candidates managed to cross the 1% threshold. Moving forward, New Hampshire is the second state in line for voting.
Reports suggest that Trump is preparing to go after DeSantis in Iowa, the first state to vote, where DeSantis is trying to win over evangelical voters.
Since this poll was conducted, DeSantis took a jab at Trump on October 1st for his absence during the second GOP primary debate. In an interview with Fox News for its "Sunday Morning Futures," DeSantis said: "With all due respect to Donald Trump, we’re not going to beat the Democrats by adopting Joe Biden’s basement strategy."
The politician continued: "You can’t just be missing in action. You got to show up, you got to earn people’s votes. And if you’re not willing to do that, voters will take notice as we get closer to these contests."
“We’re not going to beat the Democrats by adopting Joe Biden’s basement strategy.” — @RonDeSantis on Trump’s refusal to show up and debate pic.twitter.com/aot5BGF318
— DeSantis War Room (@DeSantisWarRoom) October 1, 2023
DeSantis was alluding to President Biden's early campaign tactics amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Due to protocols surrounding social distancing, Biden opted to conduct many campaign events from the confines of his own home, particularly from his basement.
Despite being the focus of several criminal investigations— and having failed to attend the debate on September 27th— Trump continues to lead the race for the GOP presidential nomination, according to a series of polls conducted by RealClearpolitics. These polls have placed him 42 percentage points ahead of DeSantis.
