Trump Holds Commanding Lead in Iowa, DeSantis a Distant Second: Poll

Former President Donald Trump holds a commanding lead in Iowa over his Republican Primary opponents just about five months out from the first in the nation Caucus in the state, according to a new Des Moines Register / NBC News / Mediacom Iowa poll.

Forty-two percent of Iowa caucusgoers that responded said they plan to support Trump, while 19% of likely caucusgoers indicated that they plan to support his nearest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. No other candidate polled in the double digits.

In a distant third place, 9% of caucusgoers said they plan to support U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence were tied at 6%, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie polled at 5% and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy polled at 4%. All other primary candidates polled at 2% or lower.

Among likely Republican caucusgoers, 63% said they plan to support the former president as their first or second choice in the caucuses or are actively considering him. DeSantis hangs closer in this category, with 61% saying he would be their first or second choice or they are actively considering him.

Both men are viewed favorably by 65% of Republican caucus-goers but Trump is viewed unfavorably by 33% while DeSantis has an un-favorable rating of 29%.

Trump's favorability rating stands out because he has never had an overall positive image rating the way he does now, and it comes amid four separate criminal indictments and his decision to criticize the state's popular Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds for seeming to favor DeSantis.

The poll also indicates that support for Trump has increased following his fourth criminal indictment. The former president was charged alongside 18 co-conspirators last week for an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.

Support for Trump is strong among evangelicals, a key group in Iowa. He leads among evangelicals with 47% who say the former president is their first-choice candidate, while 20% said DeSantis is their first choice.

But with nearly as many likely Republican caucusgoers considering DeSantis as Trump, much could change in the coming months before the Iowa primary. The first GOP presidential debate will take place Wednesday, though Trump has said he does not plan to attend, citing his lead in polling.

The poll was conducted among 406 likely Republican caucusgoers from Aug. 13-17 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.