Trump lead over GOP field slips after federal indictment: poll
Former President Trump’s lead over the Republican presidential primary field for 2024 has slipped in the wake of his federal indictment, according to a poll released Tuesday.
A CNN poll found that although the former president is still at the head of the GOP field by a wide margin, his support among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents dipped 6 points after he was indicted and arraigned on 37 federal criminal charges in connection with the Justice Department’s classified documents probe.
Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents surveyed, 47 percent said last week that they support Trump for the GOP nomination, down from 53 percent who said the same last month.
Earlier this month, Trump pleaded not guilty to the 37 federal criminal charges. The Department of Justice accuses him of holding on to classified documents after his White House term ended and resisting attempts by the government to recover the materials.
In second place behind Trump for the GOP nomination is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with 26 percent support among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, unchanged from last month, according to the poll.
Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence got 9 percent, up from 6 percent last month, before he had officially launched his 2024 bid.
The rest of the listed candidates — including Trump’s former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — all earned 5 percent or less.
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Republican-aligned voters’ favorable opinions of Trump also dropped since last month, down from 77 percent in May to 67 percent this month, according to CNN.
Trump has said he won’t drop out of the 2024 race even as he faces the federal charges and various other legal battles, including 34 state criminal charges of falsifying business records in Manhattan.
Conducted June 13-17 among 1,350 U.S. adults, the CNN poll results had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
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