New York, Jun. 13, (tca/dpa/GNA) - Former US president Donald Trump has expanded his lead in polls over [Florida Governor] Ron DeSantis and the rest of the 2024 Republican primary field since he was indicted in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents scandal.
Trump scored a dominant 61% support of GOP [Republican] voters compared to just 23% for DeSantis in a CBS News poll conducted after he was charged with mishandling documents and obstructing justice.
Former US vice president Mike Pence and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott trailed with 4% each and others in the crowded race were mired in the low single digits.
The poll shows Trump has consolidated his strong support among Republicans since becoming the first former president to be charged with federal crimes.
Trump led DeSantis by a slightly smaller 59%-24% margin in the same poll conducted in late April.
Since then, DeSantis formally launched his 2024 campaign run along with Pence, Scott and several lesser candidates.
None of that news has put any dent at all into Trump’s lead in the polls, which has been growing steadily since he announced his presidential comeback bid late last year.
Republicans mostly believe the 37-count Trump indictment is politically motivated, with 74% of those polled agreeing that he should not have been charged.
A shockingly small 7% of GOP voters say the 49-page indictment makes them think less highly of Trump, while twice as many say it makes them support him more strongly.
Most Republican party political analysts are not surprised by Trump’s indictment bounce.
The MAGA [referring to the slogan “Make America Great Again” that Trump popularized during his 2016 presidential campaign] base of the party has repeatedly rallied around Trump whenever he is hit with news that would be devastating for almost any other candidate.
Trump’s supporters overwhelmingly believe the former president’s claim that he is a victim of a liberal hoax designed to keep him from returning to the White House.
Most of his Republican party rivals, including DeSantis, have sided with Trump in his fight with the federal authorities, with only lesser candidates like [former New Jersey governor] Chris Christie openly criticizing him.
Trump could also soon be hit with more legal bombshells. Special counsel Jack Smith is also investigating Trump’s effort to overturn his loss in the 2020 election that culminated in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
He could also be charged with election interference in Georgia, where Atlanta Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has signalled indictments are likely to be handed up in August.
GNA