.ZeeshanAleem: A New Hampshire poll gives insight into 2024 that should scare Trump
— the process by which party elites, activists and mega-donors can rally behind a candidate and influence voter choice and media coverage before primaries even begin.
Just because DeSantis is looking strong in the polls now doesn’t mean that he’ll continue to hold that position. Trump’s potential return to Twitter — should Tesla CEO Elon Musk successfully complete his purchase of the platform — could provide a huge boost to his salience in news media and right-wing culture wars. And DeSantis might not be able to command the same kind of support when it comes to actually holding campaign rallies and debating, activities where Trump excels.
In the New Hampshire poll, nobody else came close to either of them. Former Vice President Mike Pence was at 8%, former South Carolina and U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley was at 6%, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas all came in at 1%.