An Iowa State University/Civiqs poll of 1,128 registered voters shows President Donald J. Trump holds a commanding lead in the Hawkeye State.
Of the 1,128 registered voters, 434 said they will “definitely” or “probably” attend the Iowa Republican Caucus on Jan. 15. Fifty-one percent of those likely caucusgoers selected Trump as their top pick. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was second with 14 percent, while Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy finished with 10 and nine percent respectively.
When asked about a second choice, Ramaswamy closed the gap with DeSantis, trailing just 21-18. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott jumped up to 16 percent. Trump was fourth in that field with 13 percent.
Nearly one-third of respondents said they do not want Chris Christie to be the nominee. Former VP Mike Pence was next with 20 percent saying they oppose his efforts for the nomination. Trump was opposed by just 18 percent of respondents.
Dave Peterson, the Lucken Professor of Political Science who organized the poll and analyzed the results, said the race is “clearly President Trump, a small second tier of four candidates and then a lot of candidates without much support at all.”
“Trump’s lead is strong, but it also might be something of a ceiling because most Iowans have strong opinions about him,” Peterson said. “Christie and Pence are in terrible shape.”
