Turning Point Action Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida was held over the July 15th/16th weekend and concluded with a straw poll for the 2024 Presidential Election. To the surprise of no one in attendance, former President Trump won in a landslide at 87.5%
In contrast, FL Governor and COVID darling Ron DeSantis gained just 4.3% of the poll. Even businessman Perry Johnson beat DeSantis by garnering 7.8% of the vote.
Despite 6,000 people being in attendance, roughly 3,000 of them responded to the poll. Half of those attending were 18-21 with the rest covering all other ages. Another major factor in the voting may have been the decisions made by both DeSantis and Trump. While DeSantis chose to go campaign in Iowa, Trump chose to attend.
On Saturday, Trump delivered a long and powerful speech to the crowd and covered multiple topics. This notably will strike a note with many poll respondents. Even if you don’t strike the notes they want to hear, the fact that you came and spoke will often resonate with them on a whole other level.
When asked about the second choice, half of the respondents chose Vivek Ramaswamy who also chose to attend and speak at the conference.
Swarmed by attendees after he spoke, Ramaswamy is bringing a different and fresher message to the conservatives. He is letting them know that the regime and ways of the past can and must evolve if it wants to be sustained and continue to grow.
Of the other second-choice picks, Trump got 21%, and DeSantis scored higher than he did in first-choice voting and got 13.5%. The inference here is, Trump for sure, DeSantis maybe.
Speaking with The Examiner, Charlie Kirk said “The straw poll demonstrates that President Trump remains the single most dominant force among the conservative grassroots. All the attacks against him have seemingly made him even stronger and more popular among the conservative faithful…Vivek really showed up this weekend and the Turning Point Action straw poll results prove it. 51% of respondents picked this man as their 2nd choice candidate. Pretty remarkable how far he’s come in a very short amount of time.”
Vivek really showed up this weekend and the Turning Point Action straw poll results prove it. 51% of respondents picked this man as their 2nd choice candidate. Pretty remarkable how far he’s come in a very short amount of time. https://t.co/yJzke2HdA2
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 16, 2023
Kirk also shared great disappointment that DeSantis refused to come to an event in his home state.
“What’s also clear is that Governor DeSantis’ decision not to come to this event probably hurt his showing in this poll. There are a lot of people here who have a lot of respect for the governor and what he’s done in Florida, but I was approached multiple times by attendees telling me they were disappointed he didn’t come, and that’s evident in the poll results.”
The choice by Gov. DeSantis to buck his home state to be at the Tennessee GOP Statesman Dinner later in the evening after his interview at the Family Leadership Summit is a risky one.
While DeSantis’ people tried to play up the fact that Trump didn’t attend, they fail to realize just how insignificant those events are for the GOP, especially at this point in the election cycle.
What this poll shows at the heart of it is that the American people and especially young voters want Trump. They want their jobs back, and interest rates to plummet. The very idea of returning people to their full production at work is something that seemed like a pipedream thanks to COVID.
Yet here we are as a nation. We stand ready to get our people back to their full capacity, and yet our president refuses to help us do that.
A straw poll this far out doesn’t mean a whole lot. The economy, people’s temperaments, and the job market can all undergo massive changes between now and the primaries or even election day. If Trump is serious about winning, he needs to capitalize on this poll and move quickly.
