Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* The first national New York Times/Siena College poll of the 2024 campaign found Donald Trump leading Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, 54% to 17%, with no other candidate topping 3%. Even if the rest of the field were to quit, it wouldn’t help: In a hypothetical one-on-one contest, the survey found the former president leading the Florida governor by a two-to-one margin, 62% to 31%.
* On a related note, this was my favorite tidbit from the Times’ report: “Mr. Trump’s grip on the Republican Party is so strong, the Times/Siena poll found, that in a head-to-head contest with Mr. DeSantis, Mr. Trump still received 22 percent among voters who believe he has committed serious federal crimes — a greater share than the 17 percent that Mr. DeSantis earned from the entire G.O.P. electorate.”
* As the first debate for the GOP presidential candidates draws closer, Trump appears increasingly unlikely to participate: He published an item to his social media platform a couple of hours ago that said the other candidates should debate without him as part of an audition to serve as his possible running mate.
* At the Iowa GOP’s Lincoln Dinner, Republican presidential hopeful Will Hurd told attendees, “Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again; Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison.” The former Texas congressman received a significant amount of booing as he left the stage.
* As wealthy GOP donors grow skeptical of DeSantis’ chances in the 2024 race, CNBC reports that Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is “seeing a wave of wealthy donor interest.”
* In related news, the New York Times reported late last week on Scott’s campaign spending, and it didn’t paint a flattering picture: “[R]oughly $5.3 million went to two shadowy entities: newly formed limited liability companies with no online presence and no record of other federal election work, whose addresses are Staples stores in suburban strip malls.”
* Former Vice President Mike Pence became the latest prominent Republican voice to mildly criticize DeSantis over Florida’s controversial new history standards.
* Speaking of DeSantis, the governor has now clarified that he does not really intend to nominate conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the FDA or the CDC.
* And Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy said on Friday that he’s opposed to U.S. aid to Ukraine, adding that he’s ready to restart the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines and reconnect western Europe’s economy to Russia.