{"id":2013966,"date":"2023-08-28T06:28:04","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T10:28:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-is-the-top-second-choice-for-gop-voters-does-that-matter\/"},"modified":"2023-08-28T06:30:56","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T10:30:56","slug":"desantis-is-the-top-second-choice-for-gop-voters-does-that-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-is-the-top-second-choice-for-gop-voters-does-that-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Does DeSantis being the top second choice for GOP voters matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdesantis-is-the-top-second-choice-for-gop-voters-does-that-matter%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2013966&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Former President Donald Trump \u200dMaintains\u200c Strong Lead in Republican Primary<\/h2>\n<p>Former President Donald Trump continues\u200b to dominate the Republican primary race, holding\u200c a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-6-best-bets-for-conservative-friendly-entertainment-this-summer\/\" title=\"The 6 Best Bets for Conservative-Friendly Entertainment this Summer\">significant lead<\/a> over all other contenders. However, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has emerged as\u200b the top second choice among Republican likely voters. This indicates\u2062 a closer competition \u2064when considering voters who \u200dare still considering DeSantis or view him as their second choice.<\/p>\n<h3>What&#8217;s Next for Trump Following Arrest in Georgia Rico Case?<\/h3>\n<p>Pollster Ann \u2062Selzer\u2063 explains that DeSantis and\u2063 Trump are closely\u200b matched in terms of their presence and\u2064 traction within the caucus-going community. Selzer&#8217;s recent Des Moines Register-NBC News-Mediacom Iowa poll reveals \u2062that DeSantis performs better in the state compared to national measures, while Trump&#8217;s support remains\u200c below 50% but\u2062 still maintains a plurality of Iowans.<\/p>\n<p>Selzer&#8217;s firm\u200b has developed a metric called a &#8220;footprint&#8221; to determine \u200da candidate&#8217;s traction.\u2064 When comparing Trump and\u200c DeSantis&#8217;s footprints, they are nearly equal, with Trump at 63% and DeSantis\u200c at 61%. This metric combines the percentage of voters who consider the candidate as their first \u2064or second choice, as well as those actively considering the\u200b candidate. It provides \u2064insights into a \u2062candidate&#8217;s potential for growth.<\/p>\n<p>Pollster Doug Usher emphasizes the importance of \u200cthe second \u200dchoice metric, especially \u2062in a close race at the \u200ctop. \u2064However, he acknowledges that when one\u200c candidate, like Trump, holds a \u200bsignificant lead, \u2062the second choice metric \u2063becomes less valuable. For DeSantis or another candidate to pose a real challenge to Trump, they would need \u200dto narrow the gap in the polls.<\/p>\n<p>Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato\u2019s Crystal Ball, agrees that the second choice metric only becomes relevant if Trump&#8217;s stature weakens in the polls. He believes it could be \u200dcrucial in\u200d determining who\u2063 might succeed DeSantis as the second-place candidate if Trump&#8217;s numbers decline.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Jackson, Ipsos senior vice president of public \u2063affairs, suggests that these metrics become more \u2062significant in an election \u200ccycle where the likely\u2064 Republican nominee is a former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-is-the-top-second-choice-for-gop-voters-does-that-matter\/\" title=\"Does DeSantis being the top second choice for GOP voters matter?\">president facing\u2064 multiple indictments<\/a>. Ipsos measures who voters are still considering, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinese-spy-balloon-revelations-leave-us-with-two-scary-scenarios\/\" title=\"Chinese Spy Balloon Revelations Leave us With Two Scary Scenarios\">providing valuable information<\/a> about the candidates in the mix alongside Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Robert Blizzard, a partner at \u2064Public Opinion Strategies, highlights the importance of candidates&#8217; images and whether voters \u200dwould \u2064consider supporting them. He notes that DeSantis currently has the best image\u200d among\u2063 Republican voters in Iowa, making him a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-samantha-bee-tells-republicans-to-stop-transphobic-bills-and-mind-their-own-fing-business\/\" title=\"WATCH: Samantha Bee Tells Republicans To \u2018Stop Transphobic\u2019 Bills And \u2018Mind Their Own F***ing Business\u2019\">strong contender<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew Smith, director of the University \u2062of New Hampshire Survey Center, believes that broader measures of public opinion, such as \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donald-trump-held-higher-job-approval-than-joe-biden-at-this-point-of-his-presidency\/\" title=\"Donald Trump Held Higher Job Approval than Joe Biden at this Point of His Presidency\">net favorability ratings<\/a> and\u200b the percentage of \u2064voters who consider a\u2064 candidate as their second choice, offer a better understanding of the race&#8217;s dynamics.<\/p>\n<p>While these metrics provide valuable insights, Smith warns against using them to predict the primary result due to \u2064the electorate&#8217;s limited engagement\u2062 at this\u200d stage. Selzer, however, considers these metrics valuable\u2064 in Iowa&#8217;s caucus format, where voters can be\u200c persuaded to change their initial preferences.<\/p>\n<p>The Iowa caucuses, \u2064scheduled\u2063 for \u2063January \u200d15,\u200d are expected to set the tone for the rest of the primary contests. With \u2064so many unpredictable variables, including Trump&#8217;s indictments, the race remains open, and DeSantis and other candidates still have opportunities to\u200c make an impact.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, these\u200c metrics offer a broader picture of the race and \u200bhighlight the\u2062 malleability of voter preferences. While Trump\u2064 remains\u200d a strong frontrunner, the data suggest that voters are\u2063 not \u200cfirmly locked in, leaving room for other candidates to gain support.<\/p>\n<p>As the \u2063primary race progresses, candidates will have\u2062 months to make an impression on Republican voters before the Iowa caucuses, providing ample opportunity for shifts in the dynamics of the race.<\/p>\n<p>It is important to note\u200b that Trump&#8217;s availability \u2064on the campaign \u2063trail may be affected by his indictments,\u2064 potentially creating opportunities for other\u200d candidates \u2062to gain\u2064 momentum.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">Click\u2064 here<\/a> to\u200d read more \u2064from The Washington Examiner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former President Donald Trump maintains a significant lead in the Republican primary, while Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) emerges as the favored alternative among Republican likely voters. However, the competition tightens when considering the undecided voters and those who view DeSantis as a potential candidate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2013967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2013966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2013966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2013966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2013967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2013966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2013966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2013966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}