With just nine weeks to go until the first votes are cast in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, President Donald Trump remains the clear front-runner as the GOP field continues to shrink.
Despite recent polls showing a narrowing of Trump’s lead, the President continues to lead his remaining Republican challengers in both national and state polls. Trump’s approval ratings have seen a recent bump, withback up to 43% after dipping as low as 36% earlier in the month.
This strong showing has helped Trump to remain the overall front-runner in the GOP field. He leads in the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, with 30% of Republicans saying they would vote for Trump if the election were held today. He is followed by Indiana Governor Mike Pence, with 24%, and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, with 10%.
Meanwhile, the rest of the GOP field continues to falter. Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan dropped out of the race last week, citing a lack of support. He joins former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford who dropped out earlier this month, as well as former Illinois Representative Joe Walsh and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, who both dropped out in August.
The next Republican debate will be held on September 27th, the first to take place since July. It is likely to be the last chance for the remaining three candidates to make their case to the Republican electorate before the first votes are cast on October 1st.
Given the situation as it stands, it looks like President Trump will be the clear front-runner going into the primaries. Whether he can hold on to that lead will likely depend on how the debates play out and to what extent the other candidates are able to gain traction. With nine weeks remaining until the first votes are cast, the 2020 Presidential election is likely to remain unpredictable – and we can expect there to be a few more surprises in store before November 3rd.