Independents prefer Trump to Biden by 8 points, candidates otherwise even along party lines: poll

WASHINGTON (TND) — Were the 2024 presidential election to take place today between the leading candidates of each political party, Independents may be the ones to cast the deciding vote, according to a new poll.

Both former President Donald Trump, the current Republican Party polling leader, and President Joe Biden, the Democratic favorite, share nearly identical support from voters, a surveypublished Wednesday by Marist Poll shows. However, Independents favor Trump by eight points more than Biden, a margin that could decide the election, according to the results.

“In a hypothetical 2024 general election contest, Biden (47%) and Trump (46%) are closely matched, among registered voters, nationally. Trump (48%) is +8 points over Biden (40%) among independents,” the poll results read.

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The survey, which gathered opinions from 1,220 U.S. adults of legal voting age, also found that Republicans have remained undeterred by looming legal trouble for Trump as federal indictments against him begin to add up.

“66% of Republicans and Republican leaning independents say Trump is the best person to lead the GOP for 2024,” Marist Poll wrote. “Nearly two in three Republicans and Republican leaning independents (65%) say they plan to support Trump in 2024, up from 58% three weeks ago.”

Across all parties, respondents felt strongly that shared governance is in danger in the U.S., with only 12% believing that the future of democracy is not threatened by "the issues that divide the nation."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R- Ga., has previously said she would support Trump’s bid for the presidency “even if he’s in jail.,” a sentiment shared by other prominent Republican lawmakers.

READ MORE | Marjorie Taylor Greene says she will vote for Trump 'even if he's in jail'

A representative for Marist Poll did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The National Desk (TND) Thursday.