Yesterday, President Trump may have cemented his position as the kingmaker of the Republican Party after Dave McCormick conceded in the Pennsylvania Senate Primary, making Trump-endorsed Mehmet Oz the nominee.
Oz’s victory brings Trump’s success rate for primary endorsements up to 93% for the 2022 primaries. President Trump followed up on Oz’s big win by endorsing Blake Masters for the Arizona Senate primary, a move that most of his core supporters applauded.
While the success of Trump’s endorsements proves that he is still a force to be reckoned with in the party, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has continually seen his fortunes rise by turning Florida in to a model conservative state.
A common trope among swing voters is that they like President Trump’s populist policies but aren’t fans of his brash demeanor. After a straw poll was released on Sunday that shows DeSantis topping Trump, they may have their candidate.
The straw poll was conducted at the Western Conservative Summit in Colorado, organized by the Centennial Institute, a think tank affiliated with Colorado Christian University.
The survey found that 67% of attendees approved of Trump running for the Republican nomination in 2024, while 71% approved of DeSantis running for the nomination.
Other candidates included in the straw poll were former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, former Trump Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Senator Ted Cruz, R-Tx. None got above 30% approval from attendees.
Still, it is entirely possible that DeSantis will choose not to run in the 2024 presidential election. The Governor currently has a close relationship with the former President, and the primary would pit the two biggest stars of the Republican party against each other.
The liberal media has tried to gin up conflict between Trump and DeSantis in the past, with both CNN and the New York Times spreading rumors that their relationship has become increasingly tense.
DeSantis dispelled those rumors earlier this year. “Donald Trump’s a friend of mine. He is proud when people do well, and it’s not just me, but obviously he’s a Florida resident, and he appreciates the job that we’ve done. He’s told me that many times, not only with helping with the election, but just how we govern the state.” DeSantis told FOX News in February.
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