Trump’s Lead Expands Over GOP Field Following Fourth Felony Criminal Indictment, New Poll Finds

A new CBS News/YouGov poll found that former President Donald Trump's lead in the Republican primary has grown, despite having been criminally indicted for a fourth time last week.

The poll showed Trump at 62 percent support among likely GOP primary voters, with his nearest rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 16 percent. Every other candidate polled in the single digits.

Among GOP primary voters, 91 percent said they want Trump's opponents to focus on "making the case for themselves," as opposed to leveling attacks against the former president. Trump's numerous legal battles have been a key talking point for many of his opponents throughout their primary campaigns.

The poll also found 77 percent of Republican primary voters think Trump's most recent indictment in Georgia is politically motivated. The former president is facing 13 felony charges in Georgia, where he was indicted alongside 18 co-defendants for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state.

The poll was conducted among 2,061 adults between Aug. 16-18. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points overall and plus or minus 5.7 percentage points for likely Republican primary voters.

Republican presidential candidates are set to attend the first primary 2024 debate on Wednesday in Milwaukee, though Trump has said he does not plan to attend and is expected instead to do an online interview with Tucker Carlson.