Poll: Donald Trump Leads Iowa Caucus Field by Double Digits

Former President Donald Trump leads Gov. Ron DeSantis in Iowa by double digits in both a deeper Republican caucus field and in a hypothetical head-to-head race, according to a poll. 

The National Research poll commissioned by the Center for American Greatness shows 44 percent of likely Iowa Republican Caucus voters back Trump in a crowded field, making him the clear-cut frontrunner:

2024 Iowa Republican Caucus:

Trump 44% (+18)
DeSantis 26%
Haley 6%
Pence 4%
Ramaswamy 3%
Hutchinson 1%
T. Scott 1%
Sununu 0%

National Research Inc./@theamgreatness, 500 LV, 5/9-11 pic.twitter.com/Xa4BWUwMwp

— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) May 12, 2023

DeSantis is Trump’s nearest potential competitor, sitting 18 points behind him with 26 percent support. No other candidate secures double digits.

Former Gov. Nikki Haley takes third place with six percent support, followed by former Vice President Mike Pence with four percent. Three percent of respondents support 37-year-old businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, while former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who is set to announce a decision on his candidacy in May, are tied at one percent. Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) did not garner any support. 

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the South Carolina Statehouse, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) // Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks to voters at a town hall campaign event, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, in Urbandale, Iowa (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall).

In a hypothetical head-to-head with DeSantis, which is unlikely, considering five Republicans have already declared their candidacies, Trump continues to hold a double-digit advantage. He takes 45 percent of support in such a scenario versus DeSantis’s 33 percent. Another 11 percent are undecided. 

The respondents were asked whether they see Trump or DeSantis as having a better chance of beating President Joe Biden; 38 percent say Trump, while 32 percent say DeSantis.

Additionally, 57 percent think Trump is better poised than DeSantis to improve the economy, while just 15 percent believe the inverse is true. Similarly, 43 percent think Trump is a better fit to take on the radical left, while 26 percent think the Florida governor is. 

Moreover, the poll found that a whopping 87 percent of the respondents approved of Trump’s first term as president, while just 13 percent disapproved.

National Research sampled 500 likely Republican caucus voters from May 9-11, and the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38 percentage points.

The poll comes as Trump and DeSantis are both set to appear in Iowa on Saturday.