By Alexandra Ulmer
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – A whopping 59% of attendees at the CPAC conservative conference in Florida want former Republican President Donald Trump to be the party’s 2024 presidential candidate, according to a straw poll released on Sunday.
Underscoring the unparalleled sway Trump enjoys over the Republican base, his closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, garnered just 28% of votes at the Conservative Political Action Conference gathering in Orlando.
CPAC tends to draw from the more conservative wing of the Republican Party, and its polls are not necessarily a reliable predictor of the evenual nominee. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, for instance, beat out rivals in its 2016 straw poll but Trump ended up clinching the nomination.
(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Doina Chiacu)
