The 2024 election is still 21 months away and primaries to choose candidates won't be held until over a year from now, but election polling has already begun.

New polling conducted by Differentiator Data for two right-wing groups, the NC Values Coalition and NC Faith & Freedom Coalition, released last week shows an early lead for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, and a narrow lead for Lt. Governor Mark Robinson over Attorney General Josh Stein, if Robinson enters the race for Governor. The poll surveyed 500 registered voters statewide from January 9-12, 2023, and has a margin of error of 4.5 percent.

In the first poll since Stein announced his candidacy for governor of North Carolina, likely gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson narrowly leads 42.4 percent to Stein’s 41.6 percent with likely general election voters who responded.

For the Republican candidate for President, likely primary voters favored DeSantis with 47.4 percent, a 12.7 percent margin over Trump. 35 percent said Trump should be the nominee while 56.8 percent think someone else has a better chance.

Likely general election voters favored DeSantis over Biden by 5 percent. Trump, who won North Carolina over Biden 49.93 percent to 48.59 percent in 2020, trailed Biden by 3.8 percent in this early poll for the 2024 race.

Meanwhile, the Trump organization, under its 'Make America Great Again' heading through which it releases multiple pro-Trump 'news' releases daily to news outlets like the Lincoln Herald, released results of its own poll which it says has Trump a solid #1 in South Carolina. According to the release, when asked "If the Republican P residential primary were held today and the following were the candidates, for whom would you most likely vote?" Trump stood as the overwhelming favorite, garnering 43.4 percent support. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had 27.8 percent support. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott was third with 14.3 percent, followed by former SC Governorr Nikki Haley with 11.6 percent, former Vice President Mike Pence with 1.8 percent, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with 1.1 percent. No information was provided on the methodology of the poll--how many people responded and how they were chosen to be surveyed.