Turning Point Action announced the results of its 2023 Turning Point Action Conference straw poll, commissioned by the Trafalgar Group, on Sunday.
The poll results show former President Donald Trump with an overwhelming lead for the 2024 GOP primary, at 86%. He leads the second-place finisher, businessman Perry Johnson, who finished at 8%, by 78 points.
In third comes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, at 4%, followed by entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who polls at 2% in the survey.
Candidates Trump, Johnson, and Ramaswamy all spoke at the event in West Palm Beach, Florida, as did former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. DeSantis; Vice President Mike Pence; Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.; and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley were invited but declined, according to Turning Point Action.
According to the Washington Examiner, Turning Point USA founder and President Charlie Kirk said, "The straw poll demonstrates that President Trump remains the single most dominant force among the conservative grassroots. All the attacks against him have seemingly made him even stronger and more popular among the conservative faithful.
"What's also clear is that Gov. DeSantis’ decision not to come to this event probably hurt his showing in this poll. There are a lot of people here who have a lot of respect for the governor and what he's done in Florida, but I was approached multiple times by attendees telling me they were disappointed he didn't come, and that's evident in the poll results," he said.