DeSantis pulls ahead of Trump in state that shapes race

Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump are locked in a close fight in Iowa, as national polls give the former president a comfortable lead.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Picture: AFP

Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump are locked in a close battle for the Republican White House nomination in states holding the first primaries, despite national polls showing the former president with a comfortable lead.

The Florida governor leads Trump by eight points if it were a head-to-head in Iowa, the first state to choose between Republican candidates. The two are tied in New Hampshire, the second contest.

However, the polling also showed that having several candidates on the ballot would benefit Trump, as it did in 2016, with the former president faring much better in a wider field.

The polling is significant because the early states can give crucial momentum to candidates. Each US state holds its own contest, starting with the Iowa caucus in early February next year and continuing into the summer.

Former president Donald Trump at a rally in Waco, Texas. Picture: AFP

Recent general polls have shown Trump, 76, opening a strong lead in the battle for the Republican nomination, with a Monmouth University survey last week putting him on 41 per cent with party voters and DeSantis on 27 per cent. No one else reaches double figures.

The state surveys by Public Opinion Strategies found DeSantis leading Trump by 45 per cent to 37 per cent in a head-to-head in Iowa, whereas they were tied on 39 per cent in New Hampshire, Axios reported.

However, in a more crowded field- including Nikki Haley, a former UN ambassador and past governor of North Carolina- DeSantis was tied with Trump in Iowa and trailed him by 12 points in New Hampshire.

DeSantis, 44, has yet to state his candidacy but he has embarked on a tour to promote his book, The Courage to be Free.

“National polling has shown Trump significantly ahead of DeSantis but these polls suggest DeSantis is performing better in the early states where voters pay closer attention,” Axios said.

Republican voters were split on “the best candidate to defeat Joe Biden”, which Axios said was a warning for DeSantis. Trump’s weakness was “temperament”, the polling suggested: 68 per cent of Iowa Republicans and 71 per cent in New Hampshire said DeSantis was less mercurial than him.

DeSantis fares better than Trump in a hypothetical head-to-head against President Biden. He is on 42.1 per cent to Biden’s 42.3 per cent among general voters, whereas Trump is on 42.2 per cent against Biden’s 43.9 per cent.

The Times