More polling from the Lone Star State shows that despite his trademark cowboy boots, Texas Republicans believe Ron DeSantis is all hat and no cattle.
The latest University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll finds the Governor yet again in low double digits in the state, nearly 50 points behind former President Donald Trump.
“None of the Republican candidates challenging Trump for the GOP presidential nomination appear to be posing a substantial threat to the former president’s front runner status in Texas, where 62% of registered voters planning to vote in the GOP primary chose him as their top choice,” reads the polling memo accompanying the results.
“Florida governor Ron DeSantis was a distant second, with 13%, followed by former (South) Carolina governor and Trump-appointed ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who was the choice of 7%. Seven other candidates were the choice of 3% or less.”
This is bad news for DeSantis, who is poorly positioned based on these results to get the 162 delegates Texas will dole out March 5, 2024. Trump’s 49-point lead mirrors the Race to the White House polling average, which shows the former President leading 60% to 10% in polling of the full field.
DeSantis brought his campaign to Texas earlier this summer, calling attention yet again to undocumented immigrants entering at the Mexican border and delivering tough talk.
He vowed to use “deadly force” via the U.S. military when asked during a news conference after his campaign event, saying that if some “cartel operatives” got “dropped,” it would change their attitude.
Yet despite threats there and elsewhere to leave unwanted border crossers “stone cold dead,” the latest survey offers more evidence of a moribund DeSantis operation in a key Republican state.
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