A new poll of New Hampshire voters delivered some good news for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after the presidential candidate suffered a week of fundraising difficulties and staffing troubles.
A University of New Hampshire poll found DeSantis gained ground on former President Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary race. Trump's 20-point lead in April over DeSantis shrunk to 14 in the poll, which was conducted among 898 likely GOP primary voters between July 13 and 17.
Still, Trump remains the frontrunner, as 37 percent of respondents said they planned to vote for him in the early primary. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they would back DeSantis, while other candidates received a total of 32 percent. New Hampshire, in addition to being a swing state in the general election, will be the first state to hold a primary election, though the date has not been formally announced. Candidates who do well in New Hampshire's primary often receive polling and fundraising boosts.
The poll comes after a difficult week for DeSantis. His second-quarter fundraising report indicated that he raised $20 million in the first six weeks he was in race, less than Trump but more than other Republican candidates, but burned through $8 million in the same period. NBC News reported that the figured suggest "solvency" could be a threat to his campaign and that he dismissed about a dozen staffers.
While DeSantis' polling improved a bit since April, Andrew Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, told Newsweek on Tuesday afternoon that the change may not be significant.
Smith explained that with six months remaining until voters head to the polls, many New Hampshire residents are still not particularly engaged in the election.
"Things will still bounce around a lot between now and when the time the election actually takes place," he said.
He said Trump is maintaining a lead over his Republican challengers because he remains the most well-known candidate and non-Trump Republicans are splitting the vote between conservatives who want an alternative candidate in the 2024 election.
The challenge for Trump's competitors is not necessarily improving public opinion but rather convincing their rivals to drop out of the race. He said the presidential debate set for August 23 will help determine which candidates have a path forward.
Still, polls play a key role in fundraising and media coverage at this point in the campaign, he said.
"If a candidate is not able to raise money or their poll numbers are really bad, the question is how can they get out of this rut," he said. "Why are they still running for office? Whereas if their poll numbers are pretty good, people talk about you in a positive way as a potential winner."
Newsweek reached out to DeSantis' campaign via online press inquiries for comment.
