Former President Donald Trump holds a strong lead in a new poll of 2024 Republican presidential candidates, according to Morning Consult.

The survey showed Trump at 53%, far ahead of all other contenders in the survey.

Poll: Trump Gains Majority Support in Crowded Hypothetical 2024 Field https://t.co/KAG8etJXeM via @BreitbartNews

— Sam Collins (@SamTexan1986) March 8, 2023

The details

"No other potential or formal challenger comes close. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis falls 25 percent behind, garnering 28 percent support," Breitbart News reported.

"That reflects a two-point drop from the 30 percent support he garnered at the end of February. In other words, the gap between Trump and DeSantis has jumped from 20 percent to 25 percent in less than a month," it added.

2024 GOP Primary Polling Trends by Morning Consult

Jan 2:
• Trump — 45% (+11)
• DeSantis — 34%
• Pence — 8%
• Haley — 3%

Feb 25:
• Trump — 48% (+18)
• DeSantis — 30%
• Pence — 7%
• Haley — 6%

MARCH 5:
• Trump — 53% (+25)
• DeSantis — 28%
• Pence — 7%
• Haley — 4% pic.twitter.com/kUvW3TGsRK

— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) March 7, 2023

Trending upward

"Trump leads his closest likely rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by 25 percentage points among potential Republican primary voters, 53% to 28%," Morning Consult reported.

"The 25-point gap in the latest survey follows a 26-point lead that Trump held in another survey conducted Feb. 26-28 — the largest advantages gauged since our daily tracking of the hypothetical contest began in early December," it added.

This poll from Emerson shows Trump with a commanding lead in New Hampshire. https://t.co/SOuqGXqhiU

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) March 8, 2023

Another new poll from Emerson College showed Trump with a 41-point lead. He ranked first with 58% of those polled, with DeSantis second at 17% and no other candidate in double digits.

Nikki Haley, who recently launched her campaign, garnered only 6% in the poll. Former Vice President Mike Pence trailed Haley with just 4% and most candidates below 4%.

The polls remain early, with DeSantis and many other potential candidates not yet publicly deciding whether to run against Trump. The early evidence leans toward the former president but leaves out some major details.

First, the poll was nationwide rather than by state, leaving much speculation over how Trump would perform in the state primaries. Second, the poll doesn't answer how the former president would fare in the general election in a potential rematch against President Joe Biden.

The biggest concern for conservatives is which candidate can win the battleground states necessary to defeat Biden in 2024. Looking at the White House's response, they seem content over a Trump rematch as Democrats expect similar end results in the hypothetical matchup.