Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis would defeat President Biden in a 2024 general election matchup in Georgia, while former President Trump would narrowly lose to the incumbent, according to a new poll.
The Public Opinion Strategies poll of 500 registered Peach State voters, conducted May 15‐17, found that 45% would back DeSantis, 44, compared to 42% who would vote for Biden.
Trump, who lost Georgia to Biden in 2020 by a 0.3 percentage point margin, would lose again in 2024, according to the poll, which shows the 80-year-old incumbent receiving 44% of the vote compared to Trump’s 43%.
The poll also shows that former Vice President Mike Pence would lose to Biden in Georgia by the same margin as Trump, with 44% supporting Biden compared to 43% backing Pence, 63.
In January, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis wrapped up her investigation of the 76-year-old former president and his allies over allegations they engaged in a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
On Friday, a letter from Willis to county officials, obtained by the New York Times, suggested that a grand jury decision on whether to indict Trump and others may come in August.
Willis told staff to work remotely from July 31 to Aug. 18 and has requested judges in a downtown Atlanta courthouse to not schedule trials between Aug. 7 and 14, according to the letter.
A WPA Intelligence poll released on Wednesday found that 59% of registered voters said they believe Trump should be criminally charged in Georgia.
The poll also found that charges against Trump in Willis’ case would negatively impact his campaign for the presidency, with 49% saying they would vote for Biden compared to 39% for Trump if he’s indicted in Georgia.
Without charges being brought, Trump would still lose to Biden, but by a narrower margin, 47% to 40%, according to WPA Intelligence.
Public Opinion Strategies also released statewide polling in Arizona Friday, where Trump also lost to Biden in 2020, showing DeSantis trouncing Biden 47% to 43% in 2024, while Trump would lose to the Democrat 46% to 44%.
