Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) edged out former President Donald Trump in a straw poll for the 2024 presidential election.
Attendees of the Western Conservative Summit over the weekend narrowly said they would prefer the Florida governor over Trump.
Seventy four percent of respondents picked DeSantis while 71% of respondents picked Trump.
Top Five:
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) June 20, 2021
Ron DeSantis (74%),
Donald Trump (71%)
Sen. Ted Cruz (43%)
Mike Pompeo (39%)
Sen. Tim Scott (36%).
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) came in third with 43% followed by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at 39%.
Former Vice President Mike Pence came in 10th place.
DeSantis has been seen as a likely front runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 if Trump decides against running again.
In recent months, he has signed a series of controversial bills on hot button topics such as voting rights, transgender athletes in sports, how social media platforms can moderate content, and an anti-riot bill.
Donald Trump Jr. suggested DeSantis should be the nominee if the former president does not run again.
“If I’m going to be totally objective about it, I think, you know, what Ron DeSantis has done in Florida is outstanding,” he told the Washington Examiner.
He added, “I mean, he didn’t fall for the narrative. I think he’s learned, perhaps through watching [Donald] Trump, you know, what the media will try to do to you if you do take those kinds of stances.”
