Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, bested former US president Donald Trump in a survey carried out at the 2021 Western Conservative Summit held last Saturday in Denver, Colorado.

The information was released by both Diario Nueva York and El Nuevo Herald.

Organized by the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University, the Summit provided some hints about a likely Republican candidate to the 2024 US primary elections.

Out of 31 possible candidates, DeSantis got 74 % against the 71 % achieved by the former president.

According to Newsweek magazine, this is regarded as a major event among conservative politicians in the western United States.

DeSantis has not formally announced he is running for president, but other sources tag him as one of the top candidates.

Greg Abbott, Texas’s governor whose positions contrary to Joe Biden’s actions are escalating, especially in subjects like migration, is not among the candidates list either.

Likewise, El Herald noted that at the Conservative Political Action Conference, which was held last February and is heavily dominated by Trump’s supporters, he got 55 % of votes while DeSantis boasted 21 %.

Ted Cruz ended third in the most recent survey with 42.86 %, Mike Pompeo 39.35 %, and Mike Pence 21.56 %.

Michelle Obama —the former US first lady, with 2.89 % and the current US president Joe Biden with 2.43 % were ranked last in the poll.

Non-partisan issues were addressed as well; namely, 84 % pointed out the subject of migration and border enforcement, 74 % tackled religious freedom and 73 % addressed the right to bearing arms.

These results come to light a few days before Trump begins his tour of rallies in Ohio, where concerns about security are raising as some of his followers —who embrace far-right ideas— and people prone to refuting Trump’s ideas, are likely to meet there.

El Diario Nueva York highlights that Trump’s popularity dropped to 34 % —according to Gallup pollster— after the Capitol invasion of last January 6^th which involved many of his followers.

The newspaper adds that he, once he left the White House, has become a leading figure among Republicans in domestic issues, which include the fight strategy against COVID-19 and economic reopening.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff