As Trump Lead Widens, Prosecutors Step Up Pursuit
Byron York
Two things are true: One, former President Donald Trump's polling -- nationally, in key swing states, and in the first-voting state of Iowa -- has never been better. And two, Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by the Biden Justice Department to prosecute Trump, is taking self-described "extraordinary" measures in a rush to put Trump on trial before the 2024 presidential election. The two things are not unrelated. And nothing could more effectively illustrate the contrast between Trump's rising political fortunes and the administration's effort to imprison him before the election.
Start with the Iowa polling. The new Des Moines Register poll, considered quite reliable, showed Trump extending his lead to 32 points over second-place Ron DeSantis, with Nikki Haley in third place. The pollster called Trump's lead "commanding" and noted that the shrinking GOP field, which was supposed to help Trump's opposition, "may have made Donald Trump even stronger than he was." The Iowa caucuses are now a little less than five weeks away.
As far as the key swing states are concerned, CNN released a new general election poll showing Trump leading President Joe Biden in head-to-head matchups in Georgia and Michigan. Biden, of course, won both states in 2020, but the CNN pollsters found Trump with a five-point lead in Georgia, and a 10-point lead in Michigan. As for the national polling, the Wall Street Journal released a new survey showing that Trump not only leads Biden in a one-on-one contest -- 47% to 43%. It is safe to say that in the last year of campaigning, Trump has never been in a stronger position. If that wasn't clear before Monday, when the polls were released, it is certainly clear now.
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https://townhall.com/columnists/byronyork/2023/12/13/as-trump-lead-widens-prosecutors-step-up-pursuit-n2632337
