More Republicans trust DeSantis than Trump to chart path of GOP: poll

by Olafimihan Oshin - 10/23/22 6:48 PM ET

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) topped former President Trump in a new poll asking GOP voters who they trust to guide the party into the future.

The ABC News/Ipsos poll, published on Sunday, found that 72 percent of registered Republicans believe that DeSantis, a former U.S. congressman, should have a great or good deal of influence in the future direction of the GOP, while 64 percent of respondents said the same of Trump.

Sixty-three percent of registered Republicans believe that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who ran for president in 2016, should have significant influence in the party’s direction, according to the poll.

Among Democrats who were asked the same question, 83 percent of those surveyed believe that former President Obama should have great influence over the party’s future, as 69 percent of respondents believe President Biden should call the shots over the direction of the party.

Sixty-three percent of those surveyed said the progressive branch of the party should have influence on the party’s direction.

The poll comes as Trump said at a weekend rally “I will probably have to do it again,” when talking about his previous presidential runs.

DeSantis is seen as the top potential GOP presidential nominee if Trump doesn’t run, though he has also polled ahead of the former president in his home state.

According to a USA Today-Suffolk University poll released last month, DeSantis holds an 8-point lead against Trump among Florida Republicans in a theoretical 2024 primary.

Biden says he fully intends to run for reelection, though like Trump has not made his candidacy official.

In the new ABC News/Ipsos poll, 38 percent of respondents believe Republicans are better tasked to handle inflation, compared to 21 percent for Democrats. About a third of respondents said neither party was equipped to address the issue.

On abortion, 48 percent of respondents believe Democrats are better suited handle the issue, as 25 percent of those surveyed trusted Republicans on the issue, the poll said.

The ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted from October 21 to October 22 with 686 respondents. The poll’s margin of error is 4.0 percentage points.