Former President Donald Trump has moved ahead of President Joe Biden in a hypothetical rematch of the 2020 presidential election, DailyMail.com poll results show.
Trump, the clear front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is 1 percentage point ahead (45% to 44%) of Biden thanks largely to independent voters, DailyMail.com survey results show. The former president trailed Biden by 2 points in June.
Trump holds a 2-point lead among independents, who in June preferred Biden (42% to 38%).
The DailyMail.com poll also found that Trump gained ground among graduates. Biden's 25-point June lead among the group now stands at 17 points.
"Just three months ago, a Trump-Biden rematch looked like the Democrats' race to lose. Now all has changed and Donald Trump is in the ascendancy once more," said J.L. Partners co-founder James Johnson, whose group conducted the DailyMail.com survey.
"Not only is Trump maximizing enthusiasm amongst Republicans, he has also leapfrogged Biden amongst independents, is squeezing him amongst black and Hispanic voters, and is picking up support amongst younger men."
Johnson said that unhappiness with the economy and Trump's aggressive campaign contributed to Biden losing support.
"This comes as voters express their overwhelming dissatisfaction with Biden's handling of the economy; people simply are not feeling the improved situation that economic growth figures and falling inflation suggest," Johnson said.
"There are also profound concerns about Biden's age."
Johnson also said Trump, under indictment in four criminal cases, was helped by the mugshot taken in the Georgia case.
"For many independent voters — previously concerned by Trump's indictments — that mugshot prompted doubt about the legitimacy of the criminal prosecutions the former president is facing," Johnson said.
"There is plenty of time to run, but Democrats who savored the idea of Biden facing Trump in the general election may end up having serious cause for regret."
The Trump campaign has been encouraged by the DailyMail.com poll results and recent surveys.
"The fact is that President Trump will be the nominee and will beat Biden because he's the only person who can supercharge the economy, secure our border, safeguard communities, and put an end to unnecessary wars," Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said.
"Americans want to return to a prosperous nation, and there's only one person who can do that — President Trump."
The DailyMail.com survey also found that former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis all lead Biden in hypothetical matchups.
Haley leads Biden by 2 points, while Scott and DeSantis each have a 1-point advantage.
Tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Vice President Mike Pence trail Biden by 3 points and 8 points, respectively.
The DailyMail survey involved 1,000 likely voters and the poll has a 3.1-point margin of error.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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