Young conservatives overwhelmingly chose former President Donald Trump over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a straw poll at a summit in the Sunshine State on Sunday.
Asked who they would vote for if the former president launched a re-election bid for 2024, 78.7% of the attendees at the Turning Point USA gathering chose Trump, while 19% picked DeSantis, Fox News reported.
No other Republican even came close.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was the nearest at 1%, followed by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at 0.5%, while Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence finished with 0.3% a piece.
Trump delivered Saturday night’s keynote address at the summit in Tampa.
Cruz and DeSantis also spoke at the weekend gathering.
Attendees at the conference were also asked about which potential Democratic 2024 candidate would be the hardest to defeat.
Some 78.7% of surveyed young conservatives picked former President Donald Trump as their Republican presidential nominee of choice. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Only 19% of those polled opted for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trafalgar Group
The poll was conducted in DeSantis’ home state of Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The poll found that voters believe Gov. Gavin Newsom would be the hardest to defeat for President in 2024. Trafalgar GroupCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom led the pack at 30.3%.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama came in second with 13.6%, Hillary Clinton at 10.5%, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at 10.3%, Vice President Kamala Harris at 7.9%, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 5.9% and President Biden coming in at 4.4%.
Rounding out the Democratic field were Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg with 3.8%, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii with 1% and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams at 0.5%.
