Trump tops Iowa State Fair Straw Poll; Pence finishes in middle of pack
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Former Vice President and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence finished far behind several of his 2024 rivals in numbers from the Iowa State Fair released Monday.
Long a fixture of the runup to presidential elections, the Iowa State Fair Straw Poll is an unscientific poll that drew more than 4,700 votes this year. Fairgoers picked their favored candidates at the Iowa Secretary of State’s booth at the fair.
Former President Donald Trump took home by far the largest share of votes among the 13 Republican candidates listed — 1,501 votes, or 42.47% of the vote.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has consistently polled behind only Trump, came in second with a little more than 15%.
Former Vice President and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence took home 97 votes, or 2.74%. This put him eighth in the field, one vote ahead of North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and roughly 0.7 percentage points behind former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden had the support of roughly two-thirds of fairgoers. The other two Democrats listed, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Marianne Williamson, took a little less than 19 percent and a little more than 14 percent of the vote, respectively.
The 2024 Iowa Republican Caucuses are scheduled for Jan. 15.