AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Republicans favor former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis the most favorably among incumbent and potential Republican presidential candidates, according to a new poll from the University of Texas and the Texas Politics Project. I’m looking at it.
Among registered Republican voters, 78% view President Trump favorably, while only 16% have a negative view. DeSantis, who has not officially declared his candidacy but is widely expected to run, is viewed favorably by 73% of Texas Republican voters, compared to just 10% who view him unfavorably.
“To say this is an early snapshot of the Republican presidential race would be an insult to an early snapshot, but polls show Texas Republicans know and like their front-runner. ” said Daron Shaw, Frank C. Irwin University Distinguished Professor. , Junior Chair in National Politics at the University of Texas at Austin. “Having two strong candidates at this stage of the campaign is reminiscent of Ford vs. Reagan in 1976 or Clinton vs. Obama in 2008.”
The poll also found that a majority of Texans say it is important for Congress to improve the reliability of the state’s energy grid and water supply while reducing property taxes. Partisan rifts are growing even wider over the direction lawmakers should take on issues that continue to disrupt politics across the country, including abortion, transgender rights and public education.
The following priorities were judged by more than 60% of respondents, including at least a plurality of Republicans and Democrats, to be “very” or “extremely” important goals to accomplish during the current legislative session. I did.
- Improving the reliability of the state’s energy grid (48% very important / 32% very important).
- Increase funding for school safety (41% very important / 31% very important).
- Reduce property taxes (41% very important / 27% very important).
- Improving the reliability of the state’s water supply (40% very important / 33% very important).
Following the near-total abortion ban in Texas following legislation passed during the 2021 session and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, 46% said they were very concerned about expanding abortion access. Abortion is legal in Texas (32%) or very important (14%), while 37% think abortion is not very important or not at all important.
Majorities also continue to support widely debated gun access restrictions, with 76% supporting raising the legal age to purchase firearms from 18 to 21, and 72% generally favoring “red flag laws.” ” and the courts apply this law. We may require a person who is determined to be a danger to themselves or others to temporarily surrender their firearms.
“Red flag laws and raising the age limit for the legal purchase of firearms have led to a decline in the number of voters, including a majority of Republicans, in Texas polls in recent years,” said James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project and co-director of the poll. “We have repeatedly received majority support.” . “Bills to implement such a law have been reintroduced this Congress, but have not advanced, which is common in Texas.”
The poll was conducted April 14-23 among a sample of 1,200 registered voters in Texas and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.83 percentage points (weighted 3.39 percentage points). Data collection was carried out by YouGov using the internet.
Complete poll results and methodological information, including survey report results and a complete summary, crosstabs, and downloadable result graphics, are available on the Texas Politics Project website.