With the 2022 midterm elections looming, it may be premature to discuss the GOP’s White House aspirations for 2024. Polling data proved to be wildly inconsistent, at best, leading up to 2020’s general election. According to a panel put together by the American Association for Public Opinion Research, the polling leading up to Biden’s victory was the most inaccurate in 40 years. According to the Wall Street Journal, Industry “experts” overestimated support for Biden by nearly 4 percentage points in the final two weeks leading up to November 3rd, 2020.
To summarize, polling at this stage is virtually inconsequential to general election outcomes. However, data coming out of Colorado Christian University’s conservative think tank could signal a shift in momentum away from Former President Donald Trump. Organizers of the 2021 Western Conservative Summit, hosted by the Centennial Institute in Denver, Colorado, asked attendees to give an approval rating for numerous 2024 GOP contenders on Saturday.
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis edged out former President Donald Trump in a straw poll asking voters about their preferred candidate for the 2024 presidential race. The conservative think tank utilized the “approval method” that allowed participants to make multiple selections. DeSantis’ approval rating came in at 74.12% with the former president hot on his tail in second place at 71.43%, respectively.
Top vote-getters were as follows:
- Ron DeSantis (74.12%)
- Donald Trump (71.43%)
- Ted Cruz (42.86%)
- Mike Pompeo (39.35%)
- Tim Scott (35.58%)
Western Conservative Summit 2021 non-partisan approval voting poll results:
1. Ron DeSantis – 74.12%
2. Donald Trump – 71.43%
3. Ted Cruz – 42.86%
4. Mike Pompeo – 39.35%
5. Tim Scott 35.58%30 candidates polled. Democrats & Republicans.
Full results: https://t.co/2a7Z5gVVwU
— Centennial Institute (@CentennialCCU) June 20, 2021
During the summit, BLM and Antifa terror activists gathered in Downtown Denver in opposition to the free press – threatening to assault those who dared capture their occupation of 15th and California Street on video. In the usual fashion, Antifa counter-protests devolved into vicious attacks on Denver Police as well as innocent bystanders.
Denver: Violence broke out at the antifa protest outside the Western Conservative Conference. Video by @emilyelarsen: pic.twitter.com/yZpOEpPxAN
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) June 19, 2021
Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO) decried the violence in an interview with the Washington Examiner on Saturday:
“For them to attempt to attack me but to demoralize our police — that’s disgusting . . . That’s not an attack on me. That’s an attack on the men and women who get dressed every day to serve their communities, who sacrifice and risk their lives every day.”
The Centennial Institute’s two-day summit had a limited capacity of only 500 due to COVID-era restrictions put into place by Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis.
The polling shift is a surprise considering Trump has all but confirmed his bid for reelection in 2024. It is unknown if the Florida governor would mount a primary challenge against Trump – and the answer to that question is irrelevant as he will first face reelection in 2022. Trump also revealed to Fox Business’ Stuart Varney that he would consider DeSantis as a potential running mate in 2024.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of Def-Con News.
Jacob Ornelas is a journalist, social media influencer, and contributor to Def-Con News. He has built a following of over 87,000 on the social media platform TikTok where he delivers daily headlines without the “legacy media spin.” He can also be found on Instagram, Twitter, and Parler @PatriotJakey.
