[FLT-bird]

Rasmussen tells a different story. 3* If the choice for the Republican nomination were between former President Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, who would you vote for? 34% Donald Trump 33% Ron DeSantis 25% Some other candidate 9% Not sure https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/public_surveys/toplines_2_desantis_2024_may_30_june_1_2023 While it make some sense for all the RINOs to eventually line up behind the loudmouth RINO as you suggested, the reality is anyone who prefers one of the other candidates is going to eventually choose the guy who doesn’t comport himself like a juvenile when forced to make a decision.

What Rasmussen's polls shows is precisely what you denied earlier....ie that if the other candidates drop out and its a head to head matchup, the two will split their support evenly. Ultimately, it doesn't matter because Trump is already at nearly 60% as is. Most Right leaning voters don't want to vote for a stiff representative of the RINO Establishment when they have an alternative they were happy with the first time.

[MountainWalker]

That’s not splitting evenly. With other candidates in the race, DeSantis’s vote share is much lower. And, as these things go in the primary, the momentum from picking up votes from departed candidates tends to have inertia.

If Trump were any other person, I think you would be right and he would dominate the RINO lane to victory. But given his defective personality replete with juvenile outbursts, his broken promises andu advanced age, odds are pretty decent that we’ll finally get conservative candidate for president.