Trump Leads DeSantis in Townhall's 2024 Straw Poll, but the Margin Is Surprising

Spencer Brown | July 19, 2023 1:45 PM

At the end of June, Townhall Media launched its 2024 GOP presidential primary straw poll, giving our audience a chance to make their preference known as candidates jockey for support and take positions on the issues facing America. Now, we're releasing the initial results after nearly 40,000 individuals cast their vote in just the first three weeks of polling.

Unsurprisingly, former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis were the most popular in the THM straw poll, with the 45th president drawing nearly 52 percent overall followed by the Sunshine State's chief executive earning slightly more than 38 percent. The other eight candidates on the THM straw poll drew less than four percent support each, with Pence, Christie, Elder, Burgum, and Hutchinson drawing less than one percent.

Zooming in, some of Trump's biggest margins were seen in Alaska, Vermont, the District of Columbia, and Louisiana while DeSantis took first place in Colorado, Georgia, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

When it comes to the important early states on the primary calendar, Trump leads DeSantis 45-39 percent in Iowa, 48-36 in New Hampshire, 56-32 in South Carolina, and 53-37 in Nevada.

Among the less-popular candidates, these are the state(s) in which each drew the most support (as a percent of votes in each state) among Townhall straw poll voters:

Vivek Ramaswamy: 16% in the District of Columbia
Tim Scott: 6% in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming
Nikki Haley: 11% in the District of Columbia
Mike Pence: 2% in Rhode Island
Chris Christie: 5% in Vermont and the District of Columbia
Larry Elder: *did not get more than one percent in any state*
Doug Burgum: 11% in North Dakota
Asa Hutchinson: 2% in Arkansas and Vermont