Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk’s favorite pick to be U.S. president runs better against the incumbent Joe Biden in the Granite State than the former President Donald Trump, according to a new poll by the University of New Hampshire.
What Happened: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is statistically tied with Trump in the New Hampshire Republican Primary. Support for DeSantis has doubled since October, according to the poll.
“DeSantis runs better against Biden than does Trump, a further sign of Trump’s weakening support among NH Republicans,” said
Biden and Trump are increasingly unpopular in New Hampshire and only about half of members of each of their own parties want them to run for President in 2024,” according to a note linked with the poll.
“Biden and Trump are increasingly unpopular in New Hampshire and only about half of members of each of their own parties want them to run for President in 2024.”
Among New Hampshire Republican Primary voters, 39% prefer DeSantis, while 37% favor Trump.
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Why It Matters: Earlier this month, Musk said he prefers DeSantis for president. The Tesla CEO made his comments in response to a Twitter query from a follower this month. He also predicted a massive red wave in the 2022 mid-terms.
In a previous poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire, among Republican primary voters in October 2021, 43% voted in favor of Trump, while 18% favored DeSantis.
First Choice GOP 2024 Presidential Candidate Among Likely Republican Primary Voters — Courtesy University Of New Hampshire
New Hampshire is one of the first states expected to vote in the 2024 primary season. Biden won the state in the 2020 presidential election by eight percentage points over Trump.
The note by the University of Hampshire pointed out that should a rematch take place between Biden and Trump, the sitting president would win by a similar lead.
Price Action: On Wednesday, Tesla shares closed 0.4% lower at $708.26 in the regular session and fell 0.8% to $702.55 in the after-hours trading, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
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