The Washington Post has found that former President Donald Trump continues to dominate 2024 Republican presidential primary polls despite the fact that he has campaigned less than his GOP rivals.
"He held fewer events than most all of his GOP foes, according to a Washington Post analysis of campaign stops from May until September," the outlet reports.
"And," it continues, "he is still ahead by a long shot in national and state polls, dominating a field that has struggled to gain oxygen even as his rivals appear in more places more frequently than Trump does."
The Post goes on to compare Trump's campaign schedule to that of his top rivals, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
According to the Post, "Trump’s team provided a list of 60 campaign-related events [that he has participated in] since late May."
The Post, though, seems to take issue with this figure, suggesting that some of these events were not true campaign events. The outlet reports, for example, "Six events — or 10 percent — included attending Saudi-backed LIV Golf events at his clubs in New Jersey and Virginia in which he has a financial interest."
Regardless of whether it is 60 or fewer, the fact of the matter is, according to the Post, that Trump has held far fewer campaign events than his Republican rivals.
Per the Post:
A spokesman for DeSantis said he has made more than 100 campaign stops since announcing his candidacy. A representative for former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley said she has held more than 120 grass-roots events since May. Tim Scott has done “more than 60 campaign events on the campaign trail” since May, his spokesman said.
Yet, Trump continues to dominate the Republican field.
The latest 2024 polling, from Real Clear Politics, shows that Trump is dominating the 2024 Republican presidential primary field by, on average, 44.9 percentage points. These 44.9 percentage points represent the average gap between Trump and his next closest GOP rival, namely, DeSantis.
Trump's lead is greater on individual polls. And, it is also greater over the other Republican candidates: Trump has at least a 50 percentage point lead, on average, over every other Republican candidate.
Trump's aides told the Post that Trump's "schedule is likely to accelerate in the coming months."
Trump's spokespeople also argued that Trump does not need to do as many events because he draws such large crowds, far larger crowds than those of his GOP rivals.
Whatever the case may be, the polls make it clear that, whatever Trump is doing, it is working.
