Trump leads GOP field by 56 points in Kentucky: poll

Donald Trump is far and away the leading candidate for Kentucky Republicans, according to a new poll that showed the former president with a 56-point advantage over the rest of the field.

Trump secured the support of 70 percent of respondents in a survey from Emerson College Polling/Fox 56 Lexington of Republican primary voters in Kentucky. The former president was followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who got 14-percent support.

The survey results represented a sizable shift toward Trump since April, with the former president picking up 8 percent more support than last month. DeSantis’s support slid by 9 percent.

The poll also found that Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R), who has been endorsed by Trump, is leading in a crowded Republican primary field for Kentucky governor. Cameron garnered 33 percent support, which was nearly 16 points higher than the next candidate. 

Almost 13 percent of voters were still undecided in the GOP primary contest. Primary election day is Tuesday.

The survey was partly conducted after Trump’s highly-criticized appearance at a town hall hosted by CNN, in which he doubled down on lies about the integrity of the 2020 election and attacked detractors. While some Republicans responded negatively to the town hall, others, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), praised the former president for his performance.

The slide by DeSantis comes as he has yet to announce a campaign, although he is widely expected to run. He has been locked in a high-profile feud with Disney, which has garnered criticism from national Republicans.

The poll of 500 very likely Republican primary voters in the state was conducted between April 10 and April 12 and had a margin of error of 4.3 percent.