One of the country’s largest conservative youth organizations released the results of a straw poll concerning the GOP presidential primary, and the results are somewhat surprising.
On Thursday, the Young Republicans took to X to share the results of the straw poll they conducted at the Young Republicans National Convention in Dallas, and former President Donald Trump came in second.
The winner of the straw poll was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who received 36.6 percent of the vote. Trump was a close second with 35.4 percent.
DeSantis and Trump came in miles ahead of the other candidates, with Vivek Ramaswamy receiving 9.1 percent, Nikki Haley receiving 7.5 percent, and Tim Scott receiving 5.5 percent.
Despite exceeding expectations at last week’s debate, Mike Pence did not manage to crack the top five.
Straw Poll Results Are In! 🗳️ YRs across the country participated in a straw poll at YRNC Dallas. And it’s clear that YRs are divided between two contenders. Ron DeSantis comes in with 36.6% of the support, closely followed by Donald Trump at 35.4%.
#republicanprimary pic.twitter.com/youyF3Uggg— Young Republicans (@yrnational) August 31, 2023
Now this is not something that Trump or his campaign should be too panicked over just yet. This is not a scientific poll, it is just a straw poll conducted at a convention, so nobody should be putting too much stock into this result.
That being said, the results of this poll are still rather interesting, and Trump would be wise to take note of what has changed since he last won the general election.
Has Trump lost his grip on the young vote?
Yes: 11% (1 Votes)
No: 89% (8 Votes)
Trump has historically done well with younger voters, much better than most other Republican candidates tend to do. Younger people were instrumental in his 2016 election victory.
This was largely due to the fact that when he first entered politics, Trump offered an energetic and exciting alternative to what many saw as the stuffy, out-of-touch Republican establishment.
But things have undoubtedly changed since then, and Trump is not quite the fresh and exciting outsider he used to be.
Trump is nearly 80 years old and is coming into the 2024 race bearing the weight of four different legal cases against him and having to withstand relentless attacks by the left.
It is possible that young voters may not be as enthralled with Trump as they used to be because of these developments, and so they are looking for a younger, fresher alternative.
It’s also worth noting that should the 2024 general election boil down to Trump and Biden again, no matter who wins, America would be ushering in its oldest president in history.
DeSantis’s effective policies in Florida — and relative youth — might just persuade some of these younger voters his way.
Trump is going to need these younger voters to win the election. He might be able to get through the primary with these numbers, but when the left throws everything at him in the general election, he is going to need all the help he can get.
So while this is not a scientific poll, Trump may want to take a moment to think about why his support among younger voters seems to be slipping.
He is still way ahead in the polls, but the 2024 primary is far from over.
