Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), is 18 points ahead of former President Donald Trump in hypothetical GOP primary, according to a Wednesday Economist/YouGov survey.

The poll asked conservative respondents to answer the question, “If you could choose, who would it be?” 51 percent chose DeSantis. Three-quarters of respondents chose Trump. Seventeen percent are unconvinced.

DeSantis is leading Trump among Americans by seven points (46-39% percent). DeSantis also leads Trump among independents 13 points (24-21%)

DeSantis topped Trump’s favorability rating when respondents were asked about their favorability. 74% of Republicans favor DeSantis. Only 14 percent see DeSantis as unfavorably. Trump’s approval rating is slightly lower. Seventy-two per cent view Trump favorably, while twenty-five per cent see him unfavorably.

This poll was taken as Trump announced Tuesday night his reelection. Only 43% of respondents wanted Trump to run again for the presidency, while 38% were against. Nineteen percent were unconvinced.

With a margin of error of 3.1 percent, the poll surveyed 1,500 respondents between November 13 and 15.

According to the Economist/YouGov poll, Trump had a 14 point lead over DeSantis (R), in Tuesday’s Politico/Morning Consult survey. This could be a possible 2024 Republican primary matchup. Forty-seven per cent of Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents supported Trump, while 33 per cent supported DeSantis.

According to YouGov, DeSantis appears to be the favorite. According to a Monday YouGov poll, 42 percent of Republicans favored DeSantis over Trump’s 35 per cent.

Prior polling prior to the midterm election showed that Trump was leading DeSantis by more than 40 points.