Trump overwhelmingly wins in CPAC straw poll but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is gaining ground

Donald Trump is the clear favorite for the Republican nomination to the White House in four years, according to a new straw poll.

The poll shows that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is gaining ground. Republicans and Democrats alike were curious about any signs of tension between the two men who spoke at CPAC. Neither Republican mentioned each other.

The straw poll shows that Trump won more support than last year.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was second in the survey at 28%. His support was up from the straw polls. He narrowed his score against Trump.

The former Secretary of State earned 2% of the vote. None of the other names rose above 1% support.

Matt Schlapp, who chairs the American Conservative Union that organizes CPAC, told Insider that Trump is stout with conservatives. They like what he did. They would be with him if he ran again.

The straw poll shows that if Trump does not run, DeSantis is the favorite. The percentage of attendees who picked DeSantis as their favorite increased from last year.

While he hasn't said he's running for president, his high-profile battles with the Biden administration and regular appearances on Fox News have many political operatives speculating that he has the White House in his sights.

The CPAC attendees took the survey on their phones. A total of 2,574 people participated.

The attendees of the CPAC are overwhelmingly pro-Trump. The annual gathering was held at the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel.

The survey is not a good predictor of the future. Cruz was the favorite in the CPAC straw poll in 2016 but Trump went on to win the nomination.

Some of the most traditional Republicans in Congress don't like Trump because of his loyal, enthusiastic base. Since leaving the White House, he has maintained a robust political operation and continues to conduct campaign-style rallies across the country. The consensus is that if Trump runs for president, he will win the GOP nomination.

During his speech Saturday evening, Trump mentioned another White House run.

He said they did it twice.