Iowa
Trump up big on DeSantis, beats Biden by 11 in Iowa: poll
Iowa voters would back former President Donald Trump by 11 percentage points over President Biden if a general election were held today, according to a new poll out Thursday.
The Emerson College survey showed 49% of Hawkeye State voters supporting Trump in 2024, with 38% supporting Biden. Another 10% said they would not vote for either, and 3% remained undecided.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who announced his presidential bid Wednesday night, has a slightly smaller lead over the incumbent president in Iowa, with 45% backing DeSantis and 38% backing Biden.
Another 11% said they would support someone else and 6% said they were undecided.
Among Republican caucusgoers, Trump has 62% support, more than triple DeSantis’ 20% support — with former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Gov. and Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley level at 5% support.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who announced his campaign Monday, came in with 3% support.
“Trump’s lead in the caucus reflects his numbers in Emerson’s March New Hampshire primary poll, where he held a 41-point lead over DeSantis,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.
“The former president’s base continues to be voters under 35, 75% of whom support Trump, and voters without a college degree: 70% support Trump. DeSantis’ support is higher among voters with a postgraduate degree, with 29% support, still trailing Trump’s 37% with this group.”
The poll also found Biden’s job approval among Iowans languishing at just 35%, with 54% disapproving. However, more than three-quarters (76%) of Democratic caucus-goers said they approved of Biden, with 69% vowing to back him over Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (11%) and Marianne Williamson (10%).
“Heading into the 2024 primary season, President Biden is in a comfortable position,” Kimball went on. “Compared to his performance in the state in [the] 2020 [caucuses] where he received about 16% of the final vote, less than a third of Democratic caucus voters are looking to another candidate in 2024.
“Biden’s support is stronger among voters with a college degree than those without: 78% to 59%,” he added.
Iowans say their most important issues in 2024 are the economy (31%), education (15%), “threats to democracy” (15%), immigration (10%), abortion access (9%) and health care (8%).
A majority of those voters (54%) also say Biden’s 2020 victory was legitimate, but 46% say it was not.
Of those polled, 37% say voter fraud is the greatest threat to legitimate elections, 24% say voter suppression, 13% say foreign interference, 7% say malfunctioning voting machines and 10% say other unidentified threats. Just 9% say there are no threats to election legitimacy.
“Ninety-one percent of Democrats and 57% of independent voters think Biden’s victory in 2020 was legitimate, while 78% of Republicans think it was not legitimate,” Kimball also said.
“This reflects the numbers we saw among Kentucky Republican primary voters, 79% of whom believe Biden’s win was not legitimate.
“Among these voters who think the election was not legitimate, 66% think voter fraud presents the greatest threat to elections.”
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Iowa voters also believe the state’s status as the first to hold a presidential nominating contest is “very” or “somewhat” important to preserve, while 16% say it is “not very” important and 11% say it’s “not at all” important.
More Republicans (86%) than Democrats (62%) said it was important to keep Iowa as the first nominating state, while 92% of both Republican and Democratic caucus-goers said it was important for candidates to debate before the caucuses are held.
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The NFL draft is rapidly approaching, and like clockwork, the Iowa Hawkeyes are going to be well represented with their contingency being picked to play on Sundays.
Iowa is sending players on both sides of the ball, as they have so often done, who will be contributing like many current Hawkeyes are already doing in the NFL.
As the NFL draft approaches, take a look at where the Hawkeyes are predicted to go in CBS Sports’ newest mock draft.
Kaleb Johnson, RB
Pick: Round 4 – No. 113, Dallas Cowboys
Kaleb Johnson sees his name called by one of the NFL’s premier franchises. He gets the opportunity to bolster an offense featuring Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb in the passing game and can now be the workhorse for them on the ground.
Jermari Harris, CB
Pick: Round 4 – No. 121, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jermari Harris bolsters the Bucs’ secondary with his experience and veteran play that he can bring from the jump. He gets the opportunity to jump into a situation where he could see the playoffs very early in his career.
Sebastian Castro, S
Pick: Round 5 – No. 140, Carolina Panthers
Sebastian Castro has extreme versatility, as displayed at Iowa, to play in the run game or pass game, and that skill set gives the Panthers a chess piece that they drastically need as they continue their rebuild.
Connor Colby, OG
Pick: Round 6 – No. 181, Los Angeles Chargers
This pick just makes sense. Connor Colby is a hard-nosed Big Ten offensive lineman who takes his talents to a team led by Jim Harbaugh. He can be a great blocker in the run game and add depth up front.
Yahya Black, DL
Pick: Round 6 – No. 191, Denver Broncos
The Broncos are a young, exciting team looking to bolster gaps after making a surprise playoff run last year. Yahya Black gives them a monstrous presence on the defensive line who can plug gaps and slow down running games.
Jay Higgins, LB
Pick: Round 6 – No. 195, Los Angeles Rams
The Rams need to enhance their linebackers, and they get a consummate pro in Jay Higgins late in the draft. Higgins can plug in from the start and provide the Rams a long-term linebacker solution.
Luke Lachey, TE
Pick: Round 7 – No. 228, Detroit Lions
It wouldn’t be an NFL draft without an Iowa tight end off the board. Luke Lachey gets to reunite with fellow Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta to add depth to an already explosive Lions’ offense.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) – You could save some money on several household items if some Iowa House Republicans get their proposal approved. They want to eliminate the sales tax on things like toilet paper, laundry detergent and vitamin supplements.
Laundry day may soon not take as much of your check on payday. State Rep. Christian Hermanson supports a bill that would eliminate sales tax on laundry detergent.
“I was actually frankly a little surprised that these items hadn’t been previously exempted,” he said.
The Consumer Price Index shows toilet paper prices went up another half a percent since November. Another legislative proposal they’re rolling out would tear off some of that cost by exempting it from sales tax.
“I think every little bit where the state can lean in and loosen the burden of sales tax on a family, on daily necessities like toilet paper or fragrance free, or just detergent in general, is probably a good thing,” he said.
Another proposal would eliminate the sales tax on vitamins and supplements. State sales tax in Iowa is 6%. If a bottle of supplements cost $10, it’d save 60 cents.
The democrat, on the subcommittee, Rep. Aime Wichtendahl, says proposals like this could help Iowans financially and physically healthier.
“Any amount of money that we can put back into people’s pockets at the checkout line is always a good thing. As I mentioned, it certainly can help people lead healthier lives who have dietary supplements and vitamins. I think at the end of the day you’re saving a little bit of money and being a little bit healthier,” she said.
If you’re wondering why Republicans picked toilet paper, laundry detergent, and supplement specifically…..“I don’t actually have any information on that. I just got these handed to me yesterday,” Hermanson said.
But – he hopes Iowans can catch a break at the checkout line.
We’ll get an updated look at national inflation numbers Thursday when the next Consumer Price Index report comes out.
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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Media-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV on X/Twitter @ConnerReports, and on TikTok @ConnerReports.
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