A Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll conducted in Dallas on Saturday found that attendees favored former president Donald Trump — who garnered the support of 69 percent of the audience — to be the GOP’s 2024 presidential nominee.
At a February CPAC event held in Orlando, 59 percent of voters said they hoped Trump would reprise his role at the top of the ticket in 2024.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis was the second choice of voters in Dallas, with 24 percent saying he should be the nominee. DeSantis also came in second in February, but with 28 percent of the vote. Senator Ted Cruz came in a distant third place with two percent saying they hoped he’d be the nominee.
Respondents chose from a list of 21 contenders including Senator Mitt Romney, former vice president Mike Pence, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, among others.
In a field that didn’t include Trump, DeSantis outperformed all other candidates with 65 percent of the vote. Donald Trump Jr. (eight percent), Cruz (six percent), and Pompeo (five percent) followed.
Trump also secured a 99 percent approval rating at the conference. Ninety percent said they were “strongly” satisfied with his conduct.
PHOTOS: CPAC in Dallas
When asked who they thought should serve as Trump’s vice president, 43 percent of the audience picked DeSantis. Nine percent chose Noem and seven percent said it should be Pompeo.
Respondents submitted their answers to the poll — which only conference attendees were allowed to participate in — through the CPAC app.
Attendees were also asked to project who would be the Democratic nominee for president in 2024. Only eight percent predicted that President Joe Biden would again be the nominee, while 37 percent said California governor Gavin Newsom would be at the top of the ticket. Newsom has said that he would not challenge Biden in a primary, but has signaled that he is prepared to run if Biden does not seek a second term. Earlier this summer, Newsom debuted an ad campaign targeting DeSantis and urging Floridians to flee to California.