By TODD STACY, Alabama Daily News
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Former President Donald Trump leads a hypothetical primary for president among Alabama Republican voters, according to a survey conducted by Cygnal for Alabama Daily News and Gray Television, but the former president falls just short of a majority.
However, taking away the option of Trump on the ballot, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis surges among the Alabama GOP electorate.
Isolating Republican voters, the survey asked who would be their choice for president among a list that included Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Marco Rubio, Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, Ted Cruz, Tim Scott, Kristi Noem and Glen Youngkin.
The results showed 49.6% choosing Trump and 35.7% choosing Desantis, with other potential candidates getting less than three percent.
However, should the former president not run, DeSantis dominates the field, with 71.2% of GOP voters choosing him as the 2014 presidential nominee. The closest contender is former Vice President Mike Pence at 7.1%.
This probabilistic survey was conducted October 27 – 29, 2022 with 616 likely general election voters. It has a margin of error of ±3.94%. Known registered voters were interviewed via interactive voice response and text message. This survey was weighted to a likely general election voter universe.