Moreover, the poll, which was conducted from January 7 to 12 and has a margin of error of 3.7 percent, also reported that 61 percent of respondents said a potential conviction would not affect their support for Trump — and 19 percent said A conviction will make them more likely to support him.
The poll was a particular blow to DeSantis, who lagged behind despite visiting all 99 Iowa counties in an attempt to woo voters.
Republican candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley at a CNN debate in Des Moines, Iowa.credit: AP
He also poured most of his campaign money into the state, hoping it would build momentum for the next round of primary races in New Hampshire and South Carolina — and, ultimately, the party's nomination for the White House.
But one year after Rupert Murdoch New York Post In a front-page headline naming DeSantis 'The Future' for GOP, the former Trump ally-turned-rival struggles to stay in the fight for the GOP nomination while momentum builds for Haley and the former president remains too dominant.
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DeSantis was attending a City Hall event with his wife Casey on Sunday when an American comedian known for pranks against right-wing figures interrupted the event to give him a “participation trophy.”
“You probably won't win the election, right, but we're proud of you for trying,” said Davram Stifler of comedy duo The Good Liars.
“I don't need participation trophies. Sorry, buddy,” DeSantis replied, as Casey urged security to intervene.
“He's special, he's one of a kind, and he's our little snowflake,” Stifler continued as security led him away.
DeSantis downplayed the importance of the poll results on Sunday, insisting that he likes to underestimate them and that the result will be better than the data indicates.
“We'll do well,” he said, a marked turnaround from last week, when he was still insisting he could win.
Nikki Haley, former United Nations ambassador, during the campaign in Iowa.credit: AP
Haley also made her final pitch to voters, citing A.J Wall Street Journal A poll released last month showed her beating Democratic President Joe Biden by 17 points in a head-to-head contest.
“I think President Trump was the right president at the right time. I agree with many of his policies. She added: “But, whether it is right or wrong, chaos follows, and we cannot be a country in chaos in a world on fire and go through four more years of chaos.” “We won't survive it.”
The Iowa caucuses — the state's version of the presidential primary contest — represent the first major test from voters for Republicans wanting to unseat Biden.
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While US primaries resemble general elections (with voting throughout the day at polling places and the option of absentee or mail-in ballots), caucuses are held at a specific time and look more like ward meetings.
In Iowa — a predominantly white, rural state in the American Midwest with large populations of evangelical Christians and farmers — they are detained in community rooms, churches and schools across about 1,670 designated areas.
But that means voters will have to brave record low temperatures to cast their ballots at 7pm (Tuesday noon EST), throwing a wild card in an almost certain victory for Trump.
