Likely GOP voters prefer a nominee who respects election rules. They also vastly support Trump, who got indicted for trying to overthrow the 2020 election.

• A new poll shows that likely GOP primary voters vastly prefer a candidate who respects election rules.
• Trump maintains a 37.7 percentage point average lead in national polls over his opponents.
• He has been indicted by 2 grand juries for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

A new poll shows that despite President Donald Trump holding a massive lead in national GOP primary polling after being indicted for trying to overturn the 2020 election, the vast majority of likely GOP primary voters claim they prefer a candidate who follows election rules.

According to a Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted between August 15-22, 85% of respondents likely to vote in the Republican primary said they prefer a "Republican presidential nominee who respects the customs and rules of American elections" compared to the 13% who prefer one that "will do whatever it takes to win."

Trump currently maintains a remarkably high polling lead over the rest of the GOP candidates — according to an average of national polls deemed "major" by FiveThirtyEight, Trump brings in an average of 51.1% support, or 37.7 percentage points ahead of Gov. Ron DeSantis in second place.

In 2023 alone, a combination of federal and state grand juries indicted Trump four times and charged him with 91 felony counts related to allegations of hush money payments to an adult film star, mishandling of classified documents, and attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. 

As per a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, just under half of Republicans said they wouldn't vote for the embattled former president if he ultimately gets convicted of a felony. And in the event he faces prison time, 52% of Republicans said they wouldn't vote for him, either. 

GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy said on Sunday that he believes the Florida classified documents case against Trump is a "slam dunk" for prosecutors given that Trump was recorded admitting to holding onto documents he didn't have the right to possess post-White House.

On Tuesday, Special Counsel Jack Smith's office noted in a filing that a witness who had access to Mar-a-Lago's security camera systems recanted his prior testimony after he dropped his attorney funded by a Trump-supporting PAC in favor of a lawyer from the federal defender's office.