(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump took a wider lead in Iowa just five weeks before the caucus.
The NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll released Monday shows 51% of the likely Iowa Republican voters polled support Trump, up from 43% in October.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis moved up three percentage points from 16% to 19%. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley remains at 16%.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy polled at 5% and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie received 4%.
The poll is based on responses from 502 likely Republican voters questioned between Dec. 2-7. Forty-nine percent of those polled said they wouldn’t change their mind before the caucus, while 46% said “they could be persuaded.”
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Christian conservative leader Bob Vander Plaats endorsed DeSantis in the Jan. 15 caucus. Attorney General Breanna Bird backs Trump. None of the state’s congressional delegation have said who they are supporting.
DeSantis said in a Sunday post on the social media site X that his support is only growing stronger.
“The corporate media won’t tell you this, but we have the most state legislative endorsements, the best ground game and organization, and we are the hardest working team,” DeSantis said. “Most importantly, I am the only candidate who has consistently fought the Left and won.”
Trump referenced the poll in a post on the social media site Truth Social.
“Great new polls numbers out of Iowa, thank you—MAGA!!!,” the former president said.
Republican voters will meet at 7 p.m. on Jan. 15 to caucus and will release results that night. Democrats are conducting a mail-in vote with results not expected until March 5, which is Super Tuesday, with 15 other states casting ballots that day.
