Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was the best choice of younger pro-life activists in a 2024 presidential straw ballot taken by College students for Life Motion following the annual March for Life.

Mr. DeSantis lapped the competitors, together with former President Donald Trump, with 53.73% of the vote within the straw ballot taken Saturday on the Nationwide Professional-Life Summit, an all-day coaching for activists held the day after the march on the Omni Shoreham Resort in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Trump got here in properly behind Mr. DeSantis with 19.22% of the vote. Former Vice President Mike Pence positioned third with 7.84%. No different potential candidate obtained greater than 2% of the straw-poll vote.

Greater than 2,000 activists attended the summit and had been invited to vote within the straw ballot, mentioned College students for Life Motion president Kristan Hawkins.

“The Youth vote is now one-third of the voters, and for the primary Submit-Roe Era, expectations are excessive that candidates will compete to indicate their dedication to defending life in regulation and in service,” Ms. Hawkins mentioned in an announcement.

Mr. Trump’s fame as a pro-life champion took a success after the previous president blamed the abortion challenge for the GOP’s weaker-than-expected midterm positive aspects, prompting pushback from Ms. Hawkins, who accused him of passing the buck.

She and others have argued that pro-life Republican candidates who had been forthright about their views and refused to draw back from the difficulty received handily, together with Mr. DeSantis, North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

“In the meantime, Trump backed politicians like Dr. Mehmet Oz and Blake Masters who failed to obviously outline their pro-life convictions — no matter they had been — did not win votes,” Ms. Hawkins mentioned in a Jan 4 op-ed on Fox Information Digital headlined “Donald Trump’s First Abortion Mistake.”

By way of legislative priorities, the straw ballot additionally discovered {that a} whopping 94.51% favored laws that protects the unborn at “conception/fertilization,” whereas 2.16% most popular heartbeat payments that ban most abortions after a heartbeat could be detected, or six to eight weeks’ gestation.

“Professional-life voters are on the lookout for a passionate protection of mom and little one and a dedication to behave,” mentioned Ms. Hawkins. “A throwaway line in a speech is not going to lower it with the Professional-Life Era.”