Former President Trump continues to lead as the GOP front-runner after being indicted on federal charges in early June; however, nearly half of GOP voters surveyed are skeptical over whether he should continue to lead the Republican Party, according to a new poll.
A new NBC poll shows a majority of Republican voters would vote for Trump in the Republican primary, with 51% listing him as their top choice. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second with 22% of the votes and former Vice President Mike Pence was third with 7%.
These new numbers come in comparison to how the candidates fared with GOP voters in April, shortly after Trump was indicted in New York in connection to hush-money payments made in 2016. About 46% of Republican voters supported Trump then and 31% said they were backing DeSantis.
After pleading not guilty to 37 federal charges related to his handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in June, a combined total of 77% of GOP primary voters said the federal charges gave them either minor concerns (14%) or no real concerns (63%). About 64% of Republican voters also said the various indictments and investigations Trump faces are politically motivated.
Trump remains the GOP front-runner, even when poised in a hypothetical match against DeSantis, with 60% of Republican voters backing the former president and DeSantis receiving 36%.
