Poll: Trump Leads Republican Field in Iowa as DeSantis Slides, Scott Gains

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event on Monday, July 17, 2023, in Tega Cay, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert/Meg Kinnard, Allison Joyce/Getty Images
Nick Gilbertson

Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) support in Iowa has dwindled by nine points since April, while former President Donald Trump has seen a two-point bump, according to a J.L. Partners poll conducted for Daily Mail. 

The survey found that 43 percent of likely caucusgoers back Trump for nomination, up from 41 percent in April in another J.L. Partners/DailyMail poll. DeSantis pinged at 26 percent in April, and while he remains in second place with 17 percent, he now finds Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) on his heels. 

Scott takes 11 percent of the share, marking the largest gain in the Hawkeye State in the last four months of any candidate, followed by entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at five percent. Both men garnered just one percent support in April.

“Though voters continue to have a positive view of the man himself, support for DeSantis is falling fast and now only six points separate him and Tim Scott for second place,” J.L. Partners cofounder James Johnson told the Mail.

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Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) has slid from five percent to three percent since April, while former Vice President Mike Pence remains at three percent despite launching his campaign in between the polls.

Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) is alone at two percent, while former Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) and former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) round out the field with one percent each. 

Trump critic Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) recently called for the clearing of the field so a candidate can take on Trump in an effort to stop him from winning “pluralities, but the 45th president maintains double-digits leads versus his nearest opponents. 

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) speaks to reporters on March 14, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

In a race between just Trump and DeSantis, the 45th president nears a majority with 48 percent and sits 13 points ahead of DeSantis at 35 percent. In that hypothetical scenario, another 17 percent are undecided. 

Trump’s support only becomes stronger against Scott and Ramaswamy, taking 54 percent of the vote in both cases. Scott trails him by 20 points, while Ramaswamy is 26 points back. 

J.L. Partners sampled 600 likely Republican caucusgoers from August 1-7, and the poll’s margin of error is plus or minus four percent. 

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