Trump would lead DeSantis by 17 points in a hypothetical primary showdown, according to a poll

MADRID, 19 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Former US President Donald Trump would have a 17-point lead in a hypothetical Republican Party primary matchup against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to a Morning Consult poll.

Trump would garner 48 percent support among potential Republican primary voters, according to the poll, followed by DeSantis, who would garner 31 percent.

Third place would be former US Vice President Mike Pence, with 8 percent support, followed by former Wyoming representative Liz Cheney, with 3 percent.

Meanwhile, former US representative to the UN Nikki Haley and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz would both receive 2 percent of the vote, according to Morning Consult.

The poll finds that Trump's favorability rating among likely Republican primary voters has improved in the past month, with 77 percent holding a favorable opinion of him. Furthermore, just over a third of DeSantis supporters would vote for Trump as a second choice.

Still, nearly seven in 10 likely voters view the Florida governor favorably, who is running as the former president's main potential rival.

The poll shows that voters believe DeSantis would do slightly better against President Joe Biden in a hypothetical presidential election than Trump would.

So far, the former US president has been the only one to make his candidacy for the Presidency official, while DeSantis or Pence have not ruled out taking the step of running for office, as has been rumored in recent weeks.

The poll was conducted January 13-15 among 829 likely Republican primary voters, with a margin of error of four percentage points.