An unofficial straw poll Saturday among attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas for who should be elected as the Republican nominee of 2024 was easily claimed by President Donald Trump by an overwhelming majority.
Jim McLaughlin, a Trump pollster who led the straw poll, announced the results onstage just hours before the former president was expected to take the stage, UPI reports.
“Yes, President Trump is increasing his job approval to an astronomical 99% in CPAC Straw Poll, blowing away the 2024 potential field with 69% of the vote, a 59% increase from February’s CPAC,” said McLaughlin via social media.
Yes, President Trump increases his approval for a job to an astronomical 99% in @CPAC Straw Poll & blows away the 2024 potential field with 69% of the vote, a 59% increase from February’s CPAC! #CPACTexas
— Jim McLaughlin (@JMcLaughlinSTK) August 6, 2022
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis does not attend CPAC but is widely regarded as a potential candidate for the 2024 presidential election. Vendors were even seen selling merchandise bearing the governor’s name at the conference, the Dallas Morning News reported.
DeSantis claimed 24 percent of the total compared to Trump’s 69 percent in the straw poll, but 65 percent of those in attendance said they would vote for DeSantis if the former president wasn’t presented as a choice.
Former US President Donald Trump prepares to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference CPAC, held at the Hilton Anatole on August 6, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
sen. Ted Cruz got just two percent of the vote in the straw poll, while Texas Governor Greg Abbott didn’t register above zero, the UPI report outlined.
The straw survey is not a scientific study, with a pool limited to CPAC participants, and is not representative of the wider GOP electorate.